Chuck vs the Child
by valeriebean
Summary: Casey is on his way out of the grocery store when he sees his ghost of Christmas past ... and her child. Now he must choose between protecting the Intersect aka Chuck and protecting the child from those who are hunting them. Spoilers up to Crown Vic S1 .
1. Chapter 1

**Chuck vs. the Child  
**

_**Author:**__ valeriebean  
__**Summary:**__ Casey is on his way out of the grocery store when he sees his ghost of Christmas past ... and her child. Now he must choose between protecting the Intersect (aka Chuck) and protecting the child from those who are hunting them. Casey-centric genfic, action/adventure at points, character story at points.  
**Notes:**__ x-posted at valeriebean's livejournal.  
**Word Count**:__ For series, 25212 (overall 8 chapters, 48 pages at 12pt). Approx 6 pages/chapter.  
__**Disclaimer:**__ Story (plot line, select guest stars, and villains) are the intellectual property of Valerie Mikles. All Chuck characters and concepts are the property of producers Warner Bros. Television. No infringement is intended; no money is changing hands. It's all for love of Chuck!_

_----- _

**Chapter 1**

Major John Casey, undercover NSA agent, protector of the human Intersect, had just finished one of the most mind-numbingly dull afternoons of his entire life, working the sales floor of the BuyMore. Mind. Numbing. Dull. He yearned for the days of working tough cases, deep cover, gun play, kill orders. His current assignment demanded a civilian body count of zero, and were it not for those specific rendered orders, that kid Morgan would be dead. To have an evening of eavesdropping to look forward to … Casey rubbed the bridge of his nose, milking from his memory all those days that made his job worth keeping. The day he'd bought his dream car was one… the day the Intersect had blown up his dream car was not.

Ten days until Christmas, he was coming out of the Fresh Market when he saw her – his ghost of Christmas past, Maya Garrett. That was her name back when he knew her. His former handler who'd seen him through five missions for the NSA. Her hair was different, but there was no mistaking those huge, hazel eyes, that seemed to glow superhumanly. He was so shocked to see her here in _his_ Fresh Market, that he nearly dropped his bags. When he saw the little girl in the cart she was pushing, he did drop them.

The eggs smashed, drawing immediate attention that he did not want or need. Casey shooed off the clerk that offered to help him and dashed away before they could get him a replacement dozen. His mind reeled as he raced back to his apartment and set the door locks. Should he contact the NSA? Maya had gone deep under protective cover after the Ukraine job went south seven years ago. Having both her and the Intersect in the same town, running the same circles was less than ideal. And the child…

Forcing rationality and duty to the forefront, Casey ran his customary evening sweeps for bugs in his apartment, organized the remnants of his groceries, and prepared himself a turkey and swiss sandwich. Calmed by the routine, he settled into his favorite eavesdropping chair. No sense raising a red flag about a ghost in the grocery store. He'd report it to General Beckman at the morning briefing.

-----

Chuck Bartowski, human Intersect, master of the Nerd Herd gently tapped his screeching alarm clock, careful not to dislodge the bug he knew Casey had set in it. He'd dealt with the invasion of privacy in the only way he knew – tormenting the listener with long-winded, grotesque, and/or disturbing stories. This past week, he'd lacked creativity, so he'd been recounting the events of the last few seasons of Stargate: Atlantis. The way Casey had tensed up when a box-load of Season 4 arrived at the BuyMore the other day told Chuck that he was succeeding in some part of his mission to pay Casey back for all those taunts he whispered in Chuck's ear just to freak him out.

Yawning and stretching, Chuck rolled out of bed and started his morning routine, trying not to think of that dream he'd been having just before the clock jilted him awake. It was either him and Sarah, him and Lou, or him and both women. He couldn't have either of them when he was awake, and that was frustrating enough, but both of them at one point had shoved their tongues into his mouth and …

Chuck rubbed the sleep from his eyes, filled his travel mug with hazelnut coffee, and headed over to Casey's. They were working the same hours today and Ellie always got in a tizzy if Chuck didn't carpool. Apparently their trip to Stanford had made her all green-conscious, and she had this strange notion that Casey was a sweet neighbor. Chuck also had a suspicion that Casey had suggested this arrangement.

When Chuck knocked, Sarah answered the door, looking gorgeous in her frilly white shirt that was part of the Weinerlicious uniform. He'd seen a fair bit of what she hid beneath, but tried not to think about it, because it just didn't make sense. They needed to change their cover and just be friends. Chuck couldn't pull off the fake relationship now that he knew there was almost no chance of a real one.

"Hey, Chuck, we're just getting started," she greeted sweetly, leading Chuck to the dining room turned high-tech computer networking arena. Oh the gaming that could be done with this equipment!

Casey looked covetously at Chuck's coffee cup, and Chuck smirked to himself. Hazelnut was not his favorite, but he drank it when he carpooled with Casey, because it got this response.

"Want some," Chuck offered as he usually did, wondering if ever a day would come when Casey said yes.

"You know how easy it is to poison coffee beans," Casey responded with an evil leer. Chuck fell silent because when Casey said things like that, it never sounded like a joke. The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder so they could all see. Sarah put Chuck between them which boosted his ego a little, because then it seemed like she wanted him to protect her from Casey.

Casey tapped a few commands and the vid-window opened to that formal looking briefing room with the clean, crisp uniformed CIA and NSA contacts Director Graham and General Beckman. Chuck didn't like them because (a) they didn't ever think to train him for a mission; (b) they didn't ever pay him for services rendered; and (c) he was pretty sure they wanted him dead. He listened vaguely to the morning reports, paying more attention to Sarah's and Casey's responses being reflected in the blank monitors on the wall. There were 12 monitors total of various sizes, and sometimes Chuck wondered if Casey used them to watch TV. That would be awesome.

"There's word of increased activity in a Ukrainian group called the Sandomierz," General Beckman was saying. Chuck felt Casey bristle, but one of the words triggered a flash. The world disappeared briefly, replaced by a thousand images, sounds, records. Sandomierz.

"Ukrainian?" Sarah repeated. "Do they know about Chuck?"

"There's no reason to assume so," Director Graham answered.

General Beckman picked up. "Major Casey, we will forward you the profiles of the active participants."

"Do we need that Intersect?" Casey asked, apparently having noticed the flash.

"Sandomierz," Chuck said out loud, repeating the flash in dead-pan. "Led by brothers Oleksy and Taras Michalka, originated in Inyo county but migrated south after a territorial dispute with a Japanese rival. Implicated in a series of bank frauds in 2002, but the evidence was lost. Primary members are –"

"Guess not," Casey interrupted smugly. Chuck snapped out of his report, wondering for the millionth time how the information fell past his lips so easily.

"Mr. Bartowski, can you offer any explanation for their current surge in activity?" General Beckman asked.

Chuck looked at her blankly, waiting for an answer from the Intersect, but getting nothing. "I'm sorry… it … doesn't work that way."

"Send the files, General. Maybe the extra intel will trigger something," Sarah spoke up, giving Chuck an encouraging pat on the arm.

"We will keep you informed, should they become hostile," Director Graham said. How could he say casual things like that?! Hostile! Chuck sipped his coffee to hide the fact that he was freaking out at the thought of Ukrainian terrorists in his home town. Ignorance was bliss, but it was no longer Chuck's luxury.

"General, one more thing," Casey spoke up as the two directors seemed ready to sign off. With a look, Casey dismissed both Chuck and Sarah. Chuck was grateful to leave, but Sarah looked a little put out. After Casey shut them outside, Sarah paced irately, and Chuck leaned tiredly against his car trying not to think of the Sandomierz.

-----

Casey locked his door just to make sure Agent Walker didn't sneak back in and eavesdrop. She had that kind of stealth about her and could lie when she needed. Had she not slipped and called him her partner when under the influence of the truth serum, Casey wouldn't trust her half what he did now – and he still didn't trust her a whole hell of a lot since Bryce turned up undead.

"Alright, Major Casey, what is this about?" General Beckman asked, seeming annoyed at the private conversation being started so publicly. She'd dismissed Director Graham. This was NSA business, not Intersect business.

"I identified an NSA agent yesterday in this area," Casey reported, neglecting the fact that he'd dropped a carton of eggs on account of it. "We worked together in the Ukraine and she's been under protection since. It may be possible the increased activity is related to her presence in the area."

"Did you make contact?"

"No, ma'am. But if she is still under protection, it is not safe for her in the same city as the Intersect. Bartowski can identify her in a heartbeat."

"Does this agent have a name?"

"Never knew it myself," Casey confessed. "Her cover was Maya Garrett, but that intel's seven years old."

General Beckmann nodded emotionlessly. "Do not initiate contact. I will handle the situation."

Casey twitched. He'd expected that response, and he'd never admit to himself that he wanted different. Still, his protective instincts were kicking in. "General, if the Sandomierz are after her –"

"I am sure her handlers are aware of the increased Ukrainian activity, Major Casey," the General interrupted, signaling the conversation's end barring any additional information. "We'll send the Sandomierz files by secure uplink. Have Mr. Bartowski review them by the end of tomorrow."

-----

"Chuck, oh man!" Morgan Grimes called excitedly, approaching the Nerd Herd desk with a camera in hand. The new Aiptek High-Def Digital Camcorders were in and Chuck's best friend was having a field day with the floor model. Chuck smiled and waved dismissively, turning back to his customer and explaining for the umpteenth time that no, they did not have a secret Wii shipment for people who needed them desperately.

"If only this baby had arrived before the Holiday Party," Morgan gushed, leaning on the counter, ignoring the line of customers probably also waiting to ask if they get a Wii before Christmas. Ten shopping days left, don't these people plan?!

"Morgan, what are you doing?" Chuck asked, when the first customer stalked away in a huff.

"The BuyMore Morgan Tours. This is Chuck Bartowski," Morgan narrated to the camera. "The fearless leader of the;" (he panned the camera up) "Nerd Herd."

Morgan circled the counter, continuing his narration, and Chuck shrugged him off, motioning the next person in line to come forward. Game Cube versus Xbox. Chuck Could answer this question.

"Morgan," Chuck called, snapping his fingers then rolling his eyes. Anna had gotten a hold of him. Chuck rushed over and caught the camera before it fell to the ground from neglect.

"Sorry, Chuck, what was that?" Morgan asked nonchalantly, hugging Anna to his side. He was lucky Big Mike wasn't around because the man had been significantly less jolly since the Holiday Party. Not that he was jolly before.

"This lady needs an Xbox," Chuck said exasperatedly, handing off the customer.

"Duty calls, my sweet," Morgan said heroically, giving Anna one last peck on the lips, and then leading the customer away.

Chuck was about to wave the next in line forward when Casey snuck up behind him, pressing close enough to Chuck's ear that the humid breath made his skin tingle.

"Hey, sport!" Casey whispered and Chuck flinched despite himself. "Got a minute."

"Not really," Chuck answered, smiling to cover up the nervousness he always felt when Casey loomed over his shoulder.

Casey surveyed the line of customers and whispered, "They can wait. Sandomierz ring a bell."

With that, Casey disappeared. Chuck cursed the nervous sweat that threatened to show on his shirt if it kept up. Maybe he could run outside and cool off a bit. He smiled apologetically at the next customer, then looked over his shoulder as Casey disappeared into the home entertainment room. Ukrainian terrorists trump Christmas shoppers.

"Lester, time to work," Chuck said, kneeling down and pulling Lester out of the shelves where he was hiding, fending off the evil shoppers with a pencil and a universal remote. It wasn't Black Friday, but some mornings it just got too busy in here for the traditional nerd to handle. Chuck set Lester in place to take customers, then went to follow Casey.

"Close the door," Casey ordered when Chuck entered the darkened home entertainment room. It had transformed in that special way that only Casey knew how to do, but today, instead of utilizing all the big screens, Casey handed Chuck a tablet PC with Oleksy Michalka's picture and file already pulled up. Chuck sighed, hating that he recognized the face of a man he never met.

"Baby face," Chuck commented, skimming through the file. Casey grunted disapprovingly and started fiddling with things in the dark corner behind the couch. Chuck ignored the unsettling feeling in his gut that came with Casey's continued presence in the room and leafed through the intel, waiting for the Intersect in his brain to work its flashy magic. He was frustrated and bored twenty minutes later, and glad when he heard the door open behind him.

"Dark room, glow of a computer screen," Anna's teasing voice came in, and a moment later she was leaning over the couch. Chuck immediately pressed the tablet to his chest to hide what was no doubt classified information.

"And pictures you don't want me to see," Anna finished. "Porn?"

"An –Anna! No, this. Pshhh," Chuck stammered, standing quickly and trying to crowd her out of the room. He failed. Anna was not easily intimidated.

Anna raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought John was in here. A customer is asking for him."

Chuck cast a sideways glance at Casey who was barely visible in the darkness. "I'll let him know if I see him," Chuck stuttered quickly, ushering Anna out of the room before she could suspect something kinky about him and Casey. Chuck squinted at the brightness of the store and looked back to the desk where a flood of customers had crowded around, ignoring any suggestion of a line. Lester stood in the middle, eyes wide, with that deer-in-the-headlights look about him. Chuck froze too, not knowing how to get into the middle of that or even if he wanted to.

Casey emerged from the home entertainment room a minute later, stealing the tablet from Chuck and quickly securing the information. He did a swift scan of the store, saw something out of the ordinary almost immediately, and tried to cover his reaction by checking his phone. Chuck scanned the store too, looking for whatever Casey had seen.

"Back to work, Bartowski," Casey said, clapping Chuck on the back, then veering quickly toward large appliances. Cautiously, Chuck approached the swarm of customers around his sanctuary and tried to direct them into a line. A few minutes later, he noticed Casey ducking out the front door.

-----


	2. Chapter 2

**Chuck vs. the Child  
**

**Chapter 2**

Casey pulled a jacket over his green BuyMore shirt and ducked out of the store. He didn't know how Maya Garrett had traced him here or why she had come, only that they could not talk anywhere near the Intersect. Casey stepped into the parking lot and scanned the shopping plaza, catching her eye. She hovered by the Weinerlicious, but Casey shook his head subtly and walked away. She would follow.

Heading across the shopping center, Casey considered possible meeting points. He needed some place loud where their conversation would be lost in the noise. Where they could sit close without it seeming unnatural. He passed the Deli, but that was out since that Lou girl worked there. It was a shame, because he wanted a sandwich. He settled for an over-crowded pizza joint where the workers were too busy to notice an over-flooded trash can, let alone a potential customer. He didn't bother buying food; he just sat at a table that hadn't been cleared off yet, so no one would bother him about taking up space. It took less than three minutes for her to appear. She ordered herself a soda, paid cash, and came over to the table.

"Mind if I join you," she opened, smiling casually. "There's not a spare table in the place."

Casey nodded politely, and motioned to the seat opposite him. She held out her hand and he shook it politely. Casey noticed a few scars peeking from underneath the sleeve of her jacket, but he had no mind to ask how she got them. Most of his own scars were classified.

"Ann Elise," she said, introducing her cover.

"John," he answered, watching and waiting as she sat down, poked her straw free of its wrapper, and drank her soda. A wisp of dark, wavy hair had escaped her ponytail and she absently brushed it behind her ear.

"How'd you find me?"

"The green shirt," she answered curtly. Casey swore under his breath. He tried not to wear the shirt around town for that very reason. He was only loosely under cover these days and was surprised he'd made it as long as he had. Still, the new Intersect would be up and running soon, so he only needed a few more months for this to last.

"Are you here protecting that child?" he asked, letting her know that he'd seen the girl too.

"In a manner of speaking," Maya said, ducking her head, pressing her thin lips together. "She's my daughter."

Casey twitched, which was about as close as he ever came to dropping his jaw in surprise. He didn't know she'd had a child and a vague part of him wondered if the child belonged to that Ukrainian spy that had tried to seduce Maya then slit her open. To a point it didn't matter, because Casey had killed the other man and his protective instincts for Maya extended to the child either way.

"Only child?"

"She had a twin," Maya said flatly. "He was killed."

Casey fell silent. He hadn't meant it seriously, and he wondered under what circumstances a child would be killed. Maya – Ann Elise – ducked closer to him and whispered on. She was being actively pursued by Anton Hnilo, the same man they'd come up against in the Ukraine all those years ago. He wasn't in town, but apparently his contacts always stirred a fresh search when she moved location, hence the increased activity in the Sandomierz. The child had witnessed her brother's murder at the hands of Hnilo's henchmen three towns ago, and now she was a target too.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Casey interrupted.

"Hnilo has tracked you to John Harris," she whispered fervently and Casey bristled. Harris was the second alias he'd had after working with Maya.

"I don't know if they have your face, but they are looking for you. Damn," Maya muttered in frustration. "I thought we'd stay here awhile, but we can't risk both of us in the same city."

Casey swallowed and nodded, wondering what General Beckman would say to this. "It's good seeing you again."

"Good seeing you too …"

"John," he finished for her when he realized she was searching for a name.

"John," she repeated.

He pointed to her. "Ann Elise?"

She smiled and nodded.

"And the girl?"

Maya rested her cheek on her hand and shook her head in frustration. "It doesn't matter. She's had so many names the last few years, she won't accept a new one. I keep reminding her she's mine, and she'll always be mine."

She started getting misty and Casey couldn't help but put a hand on hers. So far as he knew, she was the only woman in the world who could evoke sympathy from him.

"Must be tough."

"There's that song, 'Baby of Mine,'" she murmured. "Sometimes…"

"What's her real name?"

"Ryan."

"Ryan," Casey repeated, a small smile falling out of him as he said it. "This may sound ridiculous, but given our history… Is she –"

He stopped talking when she suddenly bristled and sat up straight. He tensed too, opening his ears for sounds of danger. Before he spotted anything, she dashed away, leaving him alone at the table. John reached across the table for her soda and looked wistfully at the Kiss-me-caramel lip stick on the straw.

"Is she mine?" he whispered.

-----

"Chu-uck," Morgan sang, the way he always did when Sarah (or any hot girl) entered the BuyMore. Chuck smiled as she approached, her soft, blonde hair falling over her shoulders just so. When she smiled at him, his knees went weak, but it was something that couldn't be helped. Sarah was made of pretty.

"Hey," she greeted sweetly as he came out from behind the counter. She dropped her voice a little and leaned against him. "Did you flash on anything this morning?"

"No," Chuck sighed. "But Anna now thinks I sit alone in the dark in the home entertainment room and cruise the porn sites."

"Someone was looking at porn?" Jeff interrupted popping up from behind the counter.

"Why wasn't I invited?" Lester added.

"No one was looking at porn," Chuck explained in exasperation. He took Sarah's arm and steered her toward the door whilst Jeff and Lester continued in an Abott and Costello routine.

"Anyway," Chuck continued, shivering as the cool outside air chilled his skin. "Let's eat now. I only have fifteen minutes because I used my thirty minute break to do government spy work."

Sarah paused by the door, decidedly not going in the direction of anything that approached food. "You should actually be doing more government spy work as you eat. There's a lot of information to filter through if you're going to flash on something, sooner would be better."

"Fine. But food first."

Sarah smiled at his single-mindedness, like she found it endearing. "Casey has the files. Where is he?"

"He…" Chuck trailed off. He realized he hadn't seen Casey in awhile. "I don't know. He left about an hour ago."

Sarah tensed, the smile falling off her face. "Where did he go?"

Chuck shrugged. It was Casey's job to look after him, not the other way around. A snarky comment to that effect was at the tip of his tongue when they spotted Casey exiting a pizza place and striding fast back to the BuyMore.

"Hey! Speak of the devil," Chuck chuckled, noting that Casey looked angrier than normal. Sarah turned on Casey immediately, berating him with hands on her hips.

"You're not supposed to –"

"Don't tell me what I'm supposed to do," Casey threatened, his voice low.

"The files –"

"Are secure for now," Casey finished, his eyes darting around the lot. "He can look at them tonight."

Casey stalked back into the store and Sarah looked after him in frustration.

"That was unexpected. But oh, hah!" Chuck held up his watch and pointed. "Look! Down to 11 minutes. Food now."

-----

"Is there a reason I have to do this here?" Chuck whined, tapping the tablet PC on his lap in frustration. Casey looked up from his bonsai pruning. He had a whole wall of the little trees, and about half of them had weapons hidden in the soil. He considered threatening Chuck with one of them, but restrained himself.

"That's sensitive information you got there. Can't let it out of my sight."

"Can we listen to music or something?"

"Nope."

Casey liked music. He missed music. He'd nearly gotten himself killed on account of listening and letting his guard down. Although he wasn't too concerned about Chuck this particular hour, he was concerned about Maya and his nerves were frayed on account of that. Casey passed the hours focusing obscene attention on the branches of his too often neglected Juniper tree, trying to prune without killing it. It was a precision art that appealed to his sense of order. The lack of eggs did not appeal to his sense order, but he'd borrowed some from Chuck's place and that would hold him over until he made it out to the store.

After a few hours, Casey got up to make himself a sandwich and noticed Chuck dozing off.

"Hey!" Casey grunted, whacking Chuck upside the head. "This is a matter of national security."

"I've looked at everything twice already," Chuck yawned, stretching his lanky body on the couch, looking ready to fall asleep again.

"No way you read all that!"

"You mean I'm not just looking at the pictures?" he stammered back, blinking blearily.

Casey grumbled and snatched the tablet from him. "Go to sleep, you moron."

"Thank you," Chuck grunted insincerely, practically leaping toward the door. Casey secured the information on the tablet, and locked the door behind Chuck. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he set the Juniper back on the shelf and went through his evening routine, sweeping for bugs and preparing dinner. Tuesday meant 45 minutes upper body workout before settling in to an evening of eavesdropping. He monitored vaguely, groaning when Morgan made his entrance just after midnight and the two nerd kids started a game of Halo3 that promised to last until dawn. At least those two were predictable.

Casey fought the urge to pace that came with worrying over Maya's quick exit from the pizza place that afternoon. He looked from the Juniper to the Elm to the Maple, but none called strong enough to distract him. The occasional muttered encouragements from the gamers over the headphones gave him nothing. Eggs. He needed eggs.

Standing so fast that he nearly tipped his chair, Casey changed into clean slacks and a black button-down shirt and headed out the door, locking it carefully behind him. If Maya was shopping at _his_ Fresh Market, then she must be at a safe house nearby. Casey wondered if the NSA would be sloppy enough to place her in the same house he'd been stationed at on first arrival. Unable to help himself, he turned through the streets, watching carefully to be sure he wasn't tailed. It wouldn't be hard to spot this late at night. His mind burned with the question of the child.

The house was innocuous. Two stories, gray siding, no yard worth mentioning, and a high, steel-bar fence that was not out of place given the neighborhood. This was ridiculous! He shouldn't even be here! Casey sat in his car, idling at the top of the block for two full minutes, debating with himself. He turned off the car and paced half-way down the block, walking away from the house so he could think about something besides knocking on the front door. That would be the height of stupidity. If it was safe, Maya would come to find him again. There were only three Johns working at the BuyMore, so she probably already knew everything of his current cover. He didn't even know if she was staying here.

Kicking himself for acting so rashly, Casey headed back to his car and paused with his hand on the handle. With a resigned sigh, he gave the house one last look. He ducked instinctively when he saw movement.

Drawing his gun and using his vehicle for cover, Casey stole another glance. The little girl, Ryan, was running down the sidewalk, a red blanket flapping around her shoulders like a cape.

"What the hell?" Casey muttered and dashed across the street to intercept her. When she noticed him coming, she veered into the street, but his legs were longer and he scooped her up gently.

"Hey, girl, where do you think you're going?" he hissed, surprised that she wasn't screaming, but oh, did she kick!

"Calm down," Casey grunted, struggling to keep hold of her. "I'm a friend of your mother's! I work for the NSA."

That bought him nothing. The little girl struggled and squirmed, forcing him to his knees, just so he could use the ground to brace her little legs.

"Calm. Down." The words were clipped, coming out between struggles. Still she didn't make a peep, clearly intent on fighting her own way free and not expecting help to be true. Casey wondered if her brother's death centered around making an inopportune noise.

"Ryan!" Casey warned in frustration. The girl suddenly froze and looked at him with huge hazel eyes. She panted raggedly, looking trapped and frightened, and Casey knew it had been a long time since anyone had called her by that name. Her lips moved incoherently, trying to process who he was and why he knew her name, but he didn't have time for such things.

"Is there a reason you left home with no shoes," he chided, trying to keep it right. He released his firm hold on her and started righting the Super Girl pajamas and red cape she was wearing. She was still watching him with scared rabbit eyes. Deciding he'd sit her in the car and go in to access the situation on his own, he picked her up and headed across the street, and was glad when she fisted his shirt and held on.

He hadn't taken two steps before the whole ground shook. The house behind them exploded, the force of the blast knocking the wind out of Casey and sending him flying. He cradled the girl in his arms, breaking her fall with his own body, then rolling quickly to protect her from the flames and debris. The uneven pavement clawed and ripped into his skin as he skidded to a halt, and the world went red as shards of concrete and glass pelted his back. The girl lost grip on him and started pounding her burning arm against his chest as he maintained a protective cave around her. He held her safe, not daring to open his eyes and find cover until the burning stopped. And still, she made no sound.

-----

Sarah got the phone call just after 3am. A bombing on the east side of town at a government safe house. She and Casey were the nearest agents to the scene and were ordered to go and contain the area until backup units arrived. Dressing quickly, she wondered how she'd managed to sleep through a bombing not ten blocks away from her apartment building.

She pulled up just as the paramedics were screeching onto the scene, lights flashing, sirens blaring. The air was thick with debris and the moans of a few passers-by who'd gotten caught in the blast. Reaching into her back seat, Sarah pulled out a mask and a roll of police tape and set to work blocking off the area as far as she could see shards of glass and soot. A few onlookers leaned in dangerously close, but she shooed them back tiredly. The police arrived next and enforced the barrier. The border secure, Sarah went to the ambulance next.

"The victims?" she questioned.

"Pedestrians about half a block away," the head paramedic answered as he taped up a woman's arm. She looked frazzled and dazed. "Those inside the house were killed instantly by the force of the blast."

"Do you have a body count?"

"I have a skull count of 18, but it may take a few days to verify that there were only 18 bodies. Some of the remains were fairly close to the blast center."

Sarah nodded and made her way into the house, following the bomb squad when they arrived. It seemed that Chuck was too late and the Ukrainians had found their target. Chuck… where was Casey? While the bomb squad was busy checking for active materials, Sarah focused on looking for the remnants of the exploded source. The smell of charred and melted remains churned her stomach and she was vaguely glad it was the middle of the night.

Crouching next to one of the more in tact bodies, Sarah flipped open the front of his jacket with the tip of a pen. The fabric moved stiffly, and a dull metal badge flashed her. Tipping it open again, she recognized the sign of the NSA. A badge! Casey! Her heart quickened as she tried to discern the face, but she knew she was just being paranoid. Casey was much taller than this. Even though the bottom half of this person's torso was missing… it wasn't him.

The fear getting the better of her, Sarah pulled her phone and dialed Casey's cell. No answer. She pressed her phone to her chest and listened to see if any of the remains were ringing, but there was no reason to presume a phone would survive the blast. The voice mail picked up, and that was something. No message saying the phone was out of the service area, thus the phone must still be functional, wherever it was.

Forty-five minutes later, the NSA clean-up crews arrived in full-force, shuffling the locals away from the house. Sarah had left ten messages for Casey, but still there was nothing. When it hit 7am D.C. time, she phoned Director Graham to give him a report. It was certainly a bomb, origin unknown and there were no survivors of the blast. Also, Agent Casey was missing.

-----


	3. Chapter 3

**Chuck vs. the Child**

**Chapter 3**

With the bombed house relegated to other agents, Sarah went back to her primary mission – protecting the Intersect. She dialed Casey's number again as she drove home, hoping to catch a few hours sleep before her eight-hour shift started at the Weinerliciouos.

"Please just be ignoring me," she murmured as she counted the rings. Three. Four. Five. Voicemail. Sighing, she hung up without leaving a message, set the phone in the cup holder, and drove to his apartment. Her mind whirred with possibilities. Casey might be ignoring her, but he still would've gotten the call same as she did, and he was not the type to ignore orders. The bombing may have been a plot to lure both her and Casey away from Chuck. Grabbing her phone, she punched in the speed dial.

"Nerd Herd," Chuck answered after the first ring. He sounded very sleepy.

"Hi, Chuck –"

"Sarah!" he said excitedly, slightly more awake sounding. "Is it – what time – why are you calling?"

"I'm just checking to make sure you're okay. Were you sleeping?"

"No. I spent the last … forty-five minutes talking a man … through a networking…Before that, Morgan…" She heard a rustling as he rolled onto his side, yawning loudly. He sounded half asleep.

"Chuck?"

"Mmm."

"Go back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"'Night, Sarah."

Smiling to herself, Sarah focused her attention on finding Casey. She parked her car just outside his apartment complex and immediately scanned for his car, but it was not there. She wondered irately if this was related to that private conversation he'd had with General Beckman yesterday. But then, she'd been told to expect him at the scene of the bombing, so that didn't add up either. Massaging her temple, she glanced at the clock on the dash – 5:30am. And it was Wednesday. Casey may be at the BuyMore already. The stock truck arrived at 4am and he was always present for the shipments. Tiredly, she made her way through town to the shopping plaza, but he did not appear to be there either. She tried his cell once more, and then she called Director Graham.

"Director, is there any news on the bombing?"

"The target was an NSA safe house."

"The Sandomierz then?"

"We've identified at least one Sandomierz member in the wreckage, but bombing simply isn't their style. The NSA is being very tight-lipped about their findings at the moment, and I don't suspect we'll learn more. I'm sure Major Casey will be informed if there is anything relevant to protecting the Intersect."

"Has he reported in to the NSA, then? I can't reach him."

"I told General Beckman as soon as you told me. If Casey can't be found, she'll likely send another."

"Will we at least know if he's accounted for?" Sarah asked, shifting the phone to her other ear as she got out of her car and headed into her apartment. "He's far too integrated into Chuck's routines at this juncture. If he's been captured –"

"Maintain your surveillance for now."

"That's the thing, Director. Major Casey is the one with the surveillance inside Chuck's apartment complex and at his place of work. I can't effectively monitor –"

"Then we may have to extract him to a safe house temporarily."

Sarah groaned. It was in Chuck's best interest, but he'd have a fit if she extracted him from his life for too long – especially this close to Christmas.

"Director, since it seems a safe house has been compromised more directly than Chuck, why don't we hold off on that option. I'm sure I can handle this without Casey."

"Agent Walker, we must protect our interests in the Intersect without being biased."

"Take twenty-four hours, then. We have a well-established routine, so I'll recognize right away if something is out of the ordinary. I can extract him immediately if something is."

"Very well."

After a few more words and reports, Sarah hung up the phone and started pacing her living room. Sleep was out of the question at this juncture. She could dress now and drive to Chuck's to escort him to work, or she could trust him to make it there on her own and have a shower and some breakfast. Chuck was accustomed to her and Casey disappearing when government work called them away in the middle of the night, so she wasn't too concerned about that. Plus, she'd be more effective is she was showered and fed.

-----

Wednesday was shipment day at the BuyMore and Casey was always there at the crack of dawn monitoring everything that came into the store, whether he was scheduled to work or not. Casey was anal like that. Chuck liked Wednesday's because when Casey didn't escort him to work, Sarah did. He liked stepping out of his house and having her there. So it was weird when Chuck stepped out of his house on Wednesday morning and was not immediately flanked by Casey or Sarah.

"Hey, Chuck!"

Chuck turned and smiled as Morgan swooped in, red-and-green-plaid shirt sleeves sticking out under his BuyMore uniform. A part of him wondered if Morgan had actually made it home after their late night of gaming, but he was pretty sure Morgan had been wearing a dull gray shirt under his polo yesterday. Chuck preferred driving to work with Morgan, if for no other reason than that he could be real around Morgan. Not that he could share all the spy stuff, but he could at least hold on to the fact that their friendship was real and not some cover story designed by the government to prevent him from having sex ever again. Nope. Morgan kept him from having sex with the old-fashioned, saying-the-wrong-thing-at-the-wrong-time-thus-rendering-Chuck-humiliated method. But Morgan was a good friend, and Chuck could forgive him lots of things just because Morgan was there when Chuck needed him.

"Hey, buddy, I thought you had the morning off," Chuck commented, leading the way to the NerdHerd vehicle. "Are the 'Morgan Tours' keeping you busy?"

"It's a strange thing," Morgan mused, his voice far too serious given the topic. "I started this project because a number of our co-workers act very weird and I thought it would be fun to capture on camera. And I worried that that weirdness would diminish once the camera came on, but no…"

"Really? Are people offering –"

"You don't want to know what they're offering to do for the camera. I don't want to know. In fact, I wish I could un-know some of the suggestions people have made. Although Anna did say –"

"Will this image disturb me?" Chuck interrupted, already getting disturbing thoughts as to what Anna may have said. "I really don't want to be disturbed this early in the morning."

"Hey, I don't want you thinking about my girl like that."

"Hey, you … think … about my girl like that," Chuck retorted lamely and Morgan looked out the window of the car as they drove, clearly calling an image to mind. "So you're going in to capture these uncouth moments on video?"

"Nah, I got called in early. Your weird neighbor didn't show up for his shift and didn't even bother to call in, so … duty calls."

"Casey?" Chuck asked in surprise.

"You know, I was watching him on camera the other day as I was editing. I always thought he only had the one face – you know, the real angry one," Morgan rambled, mimicking Casey's scowl, using his hands to gesture. "But if you freeze frame it, you see it's just amazing. He really does make only the one face and he always knows when I have the camera pointed at him."

Chuck smiled nervously, his thoughts stirring over Casey's absence. But then Sarah hadn't come that morning either and she'd called him at some ungodly hour to check in. Maybe they'd both been called away. Maybe the Intersect was deemed completely unimportant and he could go back to living his normal life. Maybe –

Chuck's cell phone rang.

"Ellie?" Chuck said, his voice questioning because she never called him except when she needed him to pick up food for dinner.

"Chuck, I'm glad I caught you. Do you know if John has any local relatives?"

"John …"

"Our neighbor John. Very sweet, slightly weird, actually bathes, unlike your other friends."

Chuck looked sideways at Morgan, who was very clean despite his scruffiness. "Casey?! No, why?"

"Are you at work? Can you check if the BuyMore has an emergency contact?"

Chuck sat up straighter, alarm bells ringing. "What, is he at the hospital? Is he hurt?"

"I don't know, he won't talk," Ellie said, clearly frustrated and forgetting that small fact that Casey never talked. "Devon says he's been here all night looking in on this burn victim. I'm worried about him, Chuck. He looks like he could use a friend."

"Okay…" Chuck said and trailed off. It took him a moment to connect that Ellie wanted him to come to the hospital and be said friend. Groaning inwardly, Chuck rounded the last turn to the BuyMore parking lot. If Casey was at the hospital, where was Sarah?

When he hung up the phone, he looked at Morgan, and was grateful they'd learned how to speak with their eyes.

"You need me to cover for you," Morgan said. It wasn't a question.

"Tell them I … had a family emergency and I'm at the hospital."

-----

Chuck was walking up the front steps into the main lobby of the hospital when his phone buzzed him. Sarah!

"Hey, I missed you this morning," Chuck greeted, smiling in spite of himself.

"Chuck, where are you?" Sarah demanded, her voice coated with concern and impatience. "Why aren't you at work?!"

Chuck stammered the way he always did when she got mad at him. "Ellie called, I'm at the hospital."

"Is Ellie alright?" Sarah asked, her tone changing almost immediately.

"She's … fine… what's this about?"

"Were you at the BuyMore today?" There she was returning to her demanding tone that got Chuck all high strung.

"Briefly."

"Was Casey there?"

"No. Sarah –"

"Chuck, listen to me. Stay at the hospital. Don't move again until you hear from me."

Chuck started bouncing on his toes, unnerved by the urgency in her voice. "Sarah, you're freaking me out," he warned, his voice getting a little high.

"Casey fell off the grid last night," she explained tersely. "No one has seen or heard from him in twelve hours and we don't know why."

"Oh!" Chuck exclaimed, liberated from his nervousness faster than a balloon popping. "Sarah, he's here. At the hospital."

"What?"

"Yeah, apparently he's been here all night. I figured –"

"I'll meet you there."

With that, she hung up and all Chuck could do was stare at his phone in surprise.

-----

Casey was aware of everything and nothing at once. He was aware of the scrapes running from his elbows to his wrists, the rips at the knee of his pants, the myriad of small cuts on his arms and the back of his neck and every other piece of skin that was exposed to the blast. He was aware of every person coming and going in the hallway and their relative threat levels. He could distinguish the employees from the patients and the visitors. He was aware of that tender, reddened skin where Ryan had beaten her burning arm against his chest. And he was focused completely on Maya, lying there in the ICU clean room, burnt and broken, just out of surgery. A wall of large appliances in the kitchen had shielded her from the full force of the blast, but her survival was not a given.

Devon, Chuck's own dubbed Captain Awesome, had noticed him in the viewing room when Maya was in surgery and had started patching him and Ryan up. Every time the nurses came to change Maya's bandages, Devon came for Ryan, saying that she shouldn't have to watch. It seemed to Casey that the girl had seen much worse in her life time. For God's sake, she'd been on fire and hadn't even had the will to scream. Even he would have been swearing loudly.

Devon had just left with the girl when Chuck came out of the elevator. Casey ducked his head in frustration. "What're you doing here, Bartowski?"

"Ellie called," he answered gently, for once in his life not showing any fear. "She's worried about you."

"Did you bring Agent Walker?"

"She's on her way. She's all crazy saying you fell off grid." Chuck made one of his goofy faces and wriggled his fingers in the air like he was telling a funny story, but Casey didn't even spare him a glance.

"Is this someone you know?"

"Can't discuss it," Casey retorted angrily. "I shouldn't even be here."

Two nurses arrived to change Maya's bandages and Casey watched them carefully. The shifts had changed and he was acquainting himself with the new faces so he'd be able to recognize anything out of the ordinary. In the reflection of the glass, he saw Chuck's face screw up as his stomach churned.

"If you have a weak stomach, you may want to go off with them," Casey taunted, glad for some amusement. "He comes and takes her every time they do this."

"Her who?"

Casey didn't answer.

"And you stay?" Chuck tried again.

Casey shrugged and kept watching, but Chuck put his back to the scene, deliberately staring at an exit sign.

"Ellie told me to invite you to dinner tonight."

"Tell her she can stop worrying," Casey hissed irately. "I got this handled on my own."

"Okay, but just as fair warning, if you don't come to us, she'll come to you. Do you really want my sister knocking on your door?"

Casey grumbled, but didn't bother forming words to show his disapproval.

"Listen, big guy, I know you're the lone man type and you don't really have roots here any deeper than is necessary for your cover. But from Ellie's point of view, we're neighbors and our friendship is real. That means you have to get used to my sister looking out for you."

Casey decided not to mention the fact that he may soon be given a kill order with regards to Chuck, and Ellie wouldn't think that too neighborly. Fortunately, he didn't have to come up with an answer because the two nurses finished and Devon returned with Ryan. Their rhythm was perfectly timed by now. Devon was carrying the girl in his arms and handed her off easily. She molded tiredly against Casey's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hey, Chuck," Devon saluted. "Glad you came. Maybe you can tear this man away from the window."

Chuck gave a weak, sarcastic laugh and Casey ignored them both. If Devon noticed, he didn't mind at this point. He simply excused himself to take off for the day. Casey knew he'd already stayed three hours past the end of his shift so he could keep looking in on Ryan.

"How's the arm?" Casey asked the girl. She blinked tiredly, then held up a fist.

"Awesome," Devon said for her, mimicking the move. He clapped Chuck on the shoulder, then gave Casey a curt nod. "I need to get some winks before I tip like a cow."

Casey shifted slightly as the girl buried her face against his neck and he scowled when he caught Chuck laughing.

"Wow," Chuck commented, watching with amusement. "I never pictured you as the paternal type."

Casey glared sternly at him. "Why do all of you assume I'm her father?"

"All of … who?" Chuck stuttered. "I didn't assume, I'm just saying. Who is she then?"

Casey looked at the girl, then back at Chuck, wondering how he might explain. He hadn't thought too much about what cover might be necessary in this instance, but he made a quick decision since the social services people had come poking around earlier.

"Chuck, this is Ryan," Casey introduced, turning the girl to face Chuck. "If anyone asks, she's… my niece."

Casey looked over, recognizing that possessed look in Chuck's eyes and tensing immediately. "Don't you dare!" he warned, his voice low and menacing. "Don't you dare flash on her!"

"I – it's not something I can stop!"

"Then keep your trap shut!" Casey threatened. Ryan lifted her head tiredly and placed two tiny, cold hands on each of Casey's cheeks, pulling them back, trying to wipe the angry scowl off his face.

"Casey, you're –" Chuck began in his high-pitched, freaked out voice, but he stopped when Ryan's hands started moving, her soft fingers tugging Casey's lips into a smile.

"She's not afraid of you is she?"

Casey looked at the girl, then back at Chuck. With a grunt, he turned back to the window and watched Maya in silence while Chuck rambled intermittently, making conversation for the both of them.

-----


	4. Chapter 4

**Chuck vs. the Child**

**Chapter 4**

Sarah's heart raced as she dashed into the hospital. As glad as she was that Casey was alive and accounted for, she'd spent most of the drive to the hospital coming up with violent, efficient, yet poetically elegant ways to kill him. The hospital's reception area was wide open and filled with people who had fallen off ladders hanging Christmas lights and hadn't found their way to the Emergency room yet. Sarah swore under her breath and pulled out her phone. She didn't even know what floor Casey was on!

"Sarah?"

"Ellie, hi," Sarah sighed, turning gratefully. Her brain was functioning slowly from lack of sleep, but it finally connected why Chuck knew to find Casey here. "I'm looking for Chuck."

"They're on the sixth floor, intensive care, burn unit." Ellie seemed relieved by Sarah's presence and Sarah wasn't sure why. She didn't have time to chat anyhow.

"Those elevators?" Sarah asked, walking quickly. Ellie nodded and kept pace until they reached the doors.

"Sarah, if you can get him to say anything, please…"

Sarah's brow furrowed in confusion, but Ellie didn't follow her into the elevator and the closing of the doors ended their conversation. If Casey was in the burn unit and not talking … what did Ellie want him to say exactly? Pressing the button for six, she waited impatiently as the lift stopped at each of the intervening floors and passengers stared quizzically trying to decide if they really wanted to go up or not.

When Sarah finally stepped out at six, she looked down the sterile white hallway, immediately homing in on the sound of Chuck's voice and following that. She was surprised to see Casey standing in the hallway next to Chuck and Casey holding … was that a child? Sarah froze, blinking to clear the hallucination her brain seemed intent on believing. Chuck was dressed in his classic white shirt, black tie work attire. Casey had on his typical evening wear – black jeans, black t-shirt – but it was ripped all to hell and he was cut and scraped everywhere! Sarah inhaled sharply realizing he'd been in the blast zone when the bomb went off.

The child he carried couldn't have been more than six years old. She had pale brown skin and dark hair, and judging from the hospital issue gown and the blue footies, she'd been cleaned off here. Her arms hung limply by her side, the left one bandaged around the wrist. Her cheek rested on Casey's shoulder and she slept soundly while Casey rocked lightly on his feet and Chuck filled the air with awkward attempts at small talk.

Sarah approached slowly, taking in the strangeness of the scene set before her. If Chuck noticed her coming, he didn't show it; but Casey knew and was deliberately ignoring her. He was focused primarily on a person inside the burn unit's clean area. A part of Sarah wanted to run up and hug Casey, because she was so relieved it was not him lying on that hospital bed. But now that she knew him to be healthy, she planned to take his phone and shove it some place dark and painful!

"Casey," she greeted neutrally.

Chuck jumped a mile, clearly startled by her company. Casey's chin dropped, nuzzling against the little girl's head, the stubble on his face catching in her hair.

"I'm sure you were called in to the house," Sarah spoke again, forcing the topic.

"First on the scene," Casey answered dispassionately, like he had told this lie a hundred times over. "I found the woman at the blast perimeter, then the girl, and I brought them here."

Sarah's jaw tensed, wanting to call him on the lie, but not knowing if he had other orders he was following. "How did you get there first? Your apartment is farther away."

He sneered at her refection in the window. "Can I help it if you drive slow?"

"Don't lie to me, John," she warned.

He inhaled tiredly, looking at the girl, then at Chuck. "Bartowski, hold this for me."

The child stirred as Casey handed her off and Chuck took her awkwardly, holding her away from his body like a hazardous material. "And do what?"

"Take a walk."

-----

Chuck looked from Sarah to Casey, uncomprehending. It wasn't often that they dismissed him (except to wait in the car), but here they were, both looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to make himself scarce. The girl wriggled in Chuck's hands until he set her down, then she calmly sidled behind Casey. Casey rolled his eyes critically at Chuck, then knelt down and whispered something in the girl's ear. Snapping his fingers, Casey motioned for Chuck's hand and then placed the girl's hand in Chuck's.

"Go on," he ordered irately.

Chuck backed away, taking the girl in tow, deciding to head downstairs, find Ellie, and maybe get some free coffee. He should be on his second cup by this hour and hadn't had it, so the weariness from staying up late last night was catching up. He looked down at Ryan as they stepped into the elevator.

"Do you want some breakfast?" he asked, and she looked back at him with those huge hazel eyes. "I suppose it's brunch by now," he rambled on, too tired to govern his words. "Has Casey even fed you? I'll find you something. Do you like jell-o? People in hospitals are always eating jell-o."

When the elevator door opened, Ellie was standing there. "Chuck, I was just coming to find you! How's John doing?"

Chuck shrugged and exited the elevator with Ryan, trying to remember his way to the cafeteria. "Good I suppose."

"Did he say anything about the burn victim?"

"What do you mean?"

"She has no ID, and he seems to know her, but I swear, it's like talking to a brick wall."

"He's like that on a normal day," Chuck joked, glad that Ellie was following him as he walked.

"The nurses keep saying we should call DCF about the girl –"

"Ryan?" Chuck stopped, alarmed at the thought of putting Ryan in foster care, even for a little while.

"Wait, what? She told you her name?" Ellie looked hopefully from Ryan and back to Chuck.

"Casey did." Tugging Ryan's hand like a leash, Chuck pulled the girl close, then wrapped his arm around her hips and lifted her up so she was face-to-face with Ellie. "Ellie, this is Casey's niece, Ryan. Ryan, this is my sister, Ellie."

"Nice to meet you." Ellie smiled sweetly, but Ryan gave her only half attention, then wriggled until Chuck set her down again. "If she's his niece, that means the burn victim is his sister."

"Or sister-in-law," Chuck added, worried by that excited doctor-look in Ellie's eyes. Stupid Casey and his cover stories!

"His blood should be tested –"

"Ellie, stop thinking like a doctor. Ryan and I are looking for food."

-----

Despite his better judgment, Casey filled Sarah in on the details of Maya and Ryan. He wasn't going to tolerate being berated by CIA, so talking her through the relevant details seemed prudent. Plus, being that she was seeing him here in the midst of everything, there was no sense trying to cover it. He was banking on that big, soft heart of hers, figuring she'd cut him more slack in the situation than if he explained it to his superiors.

"Do they know your face?" Sarah asked in a hushed voice.

"I'm not sure."

She glanced around warily. "You can't be here with them, John. You have to pass them off. Call the NSA. I told them you were here, but you need to check in."

Casey hesitated, thinking of the possible court martial that would result from his actions the past twenty-four hours. He'd thought about it intermittently whenever his thoughts strayed from Maya, but he always came to the conclusion – that he may as well delay the inevitable until Maya and Ryan were safe.

"The NSA can send someone else to protect them," Sarah reasoned quickly. "You can't be watching both them and Chuck."

"I can –" Casey protested, then stopped and attempted to rework his thoughts. "I can hand Ann Elise off." (He'd given Sarah the current alias.) "But Ryan – she doesn't trust them and until I know why, I'm not handing her off."

"Doesn't trust who?"

Casey swallowed in effort to contain his thoughts. The NSA? That didn't make sense. It was possible the girl was simply accustomed to being lied to. "She trusts me because I know her name. Her real name."

Crap! And now he'd been tossing that name around like candy. He'd noticed her perk up at the sound of her own name when he'd said it to Chuck, but then she'd gone limp again when he added the bit about her being his niece. "Until I talk to M-Ann Elise… I'll call in and get someone covering Ann Elise."

Sarah nodded, glad for the progress. "You can tell them she was a bystander and may be a material witness. Then the NSA will have clear interest and her only enemies will be whatever group set off the bomb."

"The Sandomierz –"

"I think they've been ruled out, but the NSA is covering the investigation because the safe house was their turf."

Casey nodded, deciding he would find out what he could about the house when he called in. He was glad for Sarah's presence because she helped him think clearly and she wasn't afraid to bend the rules a little (although he normally hated her for the latter reason and would probably resume doing so once this situation had resolved).

"You should consider handing off the girl," Sarah suggested gently.

Casey shook his head. "My cover has become part of her cover. Ryan and I are having dinner with the Bartowskis tonight."

"I should be there," Sarah said certainly and he shrugged. "Casey, you know you can't just leave the kid alone if something happens with Chuck."

Casey didn't feel the need to mention that protecting the Intersect, while still a top priority, had dropped down a few pegs since the appearance of Maya and Ryan. "I get the sense she's been through worse hell than that."

"I'll stay over at Chuck's the next few nights. It'll be good for our cover," she murmured quietly, not bothering to add that it would take the pressure off of him. He was grateful for the quiet dignity she afforded him in that regard, and made a note to return the favor some day.

-----

Sarah had to run in to work after that so she wouldn't get fired, and Chuck figured he should clock in a few hours as well. After calling in to the NSA and thoroughly threatening the Lieutenant sent to guard Maya in his stead, Casey had followed them to the shopping plaza, but it was well past the 24 hour mark since he'd last slept and he still needed eggs and Ryan needed clothing. He figured she must have done this same round of supplying with her mother very recently, because she knew exactly what stores to go into and the first place she led him was the department store with the Supergirl pajamas. The kid was downright obsessed and belligerent and Casey was too tired to argue with a mute.

He took Ryan to the Wienerlicious next and Sarah fed them corn dogs, taking the time to cut Ryan's into bite-sized pieces. It made sense, given the girl's tiny fingers, but it wasn't something Casey would've thought to do for her. Ryan carefully separated the bread from the meat, skimmed off the mustard with one finger, then scrunched the bread into a tight ball and started shoving it into her pockets.

"This isn't Hansel and Gretel," Casey criticized, catching her wrist and wiping her hands clean with a napkin. Sarah smirked at the interaction and Casey started worrying that child care might be more than he bargained for. It wasn't like his apartment was child proof.

On the way back to his apartment, he set out a list of rules for Ryan to follow and she stared vaguely at her knees as she listened. She'd nodded off by the time he pulled into his parking space, so he carried her inside, laid her in his bed, showered, shaved, and fell heavily on the couch. He figured she'd be a good excuse to duck out early that evening. Fighting off sleep, he set up a secure line to call in to General Beckman. His first call in from the hospital had consisted of only the barest details so he'd at least be on the radar again and he knew he owed another call in.

"General, is there any new information about the safe house?" he asked. His voice sounded gravelly with exhaustion, and he was too weary to sit up. He was getting too old for all-nighters.

"The reports I'm getting are confusing at best, Major. It seems the Sandomierz were in the midst of a sting but someone else is responsible for the bomb. Were you able to gather any information from the scene before you left?"

"There wasn't time. I judged the woman's life most valuable to the case."

"The witness, yes."

"General, the agent I reported to you yesterday –"

"She is MIA and likely dead. I'm sorry, Major."

Casey cursed. General Beckman had unwittingly interrupted his confession, but it was probably for the better anyway. He'd lied about Maya and hadn't mentioned Ryan and the longer he waited, the more foolish it seemed. It was not his job to save the world; it was his job to obey orders and let other people save the world. Taking a moment, he reflected on the scene just before the explosion, trying to recall anything he'd seen on the street. Ryan was the best witness, but she wasn't talking, and he was the next best until Maya awoke.

"The explosion was sourced from inside the house, General. Do you think it was an inside job?"

"There's no reason to presume so. We lost three agents in that blast, and there were no others stationed there."

"Is there –"

"Major, your primary duty right now is to protect the Intersect."

Casey froze. "I am aware of that."

"Are you able to fulfill that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I expect a written report as to the safe house incident, but beyond that, you are no longer involved in that case."

"Yes, ma'am." It would have been a relief to have the burden removed in any other case. It would have been a relief if he'd thought Maya dead. But now he knew Maya was in the hospital and Ryan was under his protection and he'd just complicated the hell out of everything.

"And Major," Beckman continued. "Can you offer any explanation as to why you fell off the grid for the better part of a day?"

"It will be in my report," Casey said simply, then hung up. Maybe Agent Walker could offer him a lie for that too. No point stopping now.

-----

Chuck was barely through the door that evening when Casey's knock came. He must have been watching for Chuck's return or listening or something, because there was no other reason for the timing to have worked out that way. Ellie wouldn't be back from the hospital for another half hour, and since dinner was her idea, Chuck wasn't eating without her.

Little Ryan stood next to Casey, dressed in crisp new clothes that were cute and girlish except for the red cape tied around her shoulders. Ryan greeted him with a bright smile and the same little fist in the air she'd made for Awesome. Apparently, it was the extent of her vocabulary. 'Awesome', 'hello' … Chuck could see how it was all the same.

"Wonder Woman?"

"Supergirl," Casey answered dully. Casey looked and smelled clean, but there were dark circles of sleeplessness under his eyes. He stepped numbly into the middle of the room and Ryan kept pace, then the two of them stood there like they were waiting for something to happen.

"Now what?"

Chuck cracked his knuckles nervously. He hated playing host when Casey was his houseguest. "I wasn't going to start cooking just yet. If you're hungry now, we could make some grilled cheese."

"No."

"How about you Supergirl," he asked Ryan. "Do you want grilled cheese?"

"She's got a name, dumbass. Use it."

Chuck stood straight, resenting being chastised, but too afraid of Casey to speak up. "Does she talk at all?"

"Not since her brother was killed."

"Oh." Chuck shifted awkwardly on his feet, trying to think of something they could do to make the passing minutes a little less painful. "We could … Xbox."

Casey didn't reject the suggestion outright, so Chuck led the way to the couch and motioned them to sit while he set up the controllers. Ryan came to his side, smiling as she took one of the controllers, then crossing the room to sit on Casey's lap. Chuck considered his audience and his game selection looking for something that might be easy for a non-gamer. Actually… did he really know that about Casey? He knew he owed Casey a car.

Pulling out a racing game, he immediately second guessed himself. "I'm sure a man in your line of work probably gets tired of high-speed chases, but … I can find you a dream car."

Casey shrugged noncommittally. "How about it, Ry? You want to find a dream car for me?"

Chuck went to the couch to show her how to select a car but before he'd even sat down, she scrolled through all the cars, initiated a cheat he'd only read about once a long time ago that expanded the vehicle selection, and settled on a fire engine. Then she handed the controller over to Casey and nestled against him, cradling her burnt arm against her chest. Chuck wanted to feel sorry for her, but couldn't help laughing out loud.

"I have had this game for five years and I've never raced a fire truck!"

"Yeah?" Casey taunted, adopting a haughty arrogance. "Racing a fast car that can handle all the turns is easy. This is the real challenge."

His chest puffing at the challenge, Chuck scrolled through the expanded menu of cars and found a cement truck. With his best Bruce Willis imitation, he looked square at Casey and growled, "Bring it on."

-----

Twenty minutes later, Chuck and Casey were still plowing through the streets of Dublin, their trucks going neck and neck, the insults flying. Chuck glanced over his shoulder when Ellie arrived with Awesome and Ryan held up her fist as her 'awesome' greeting. The Captain returned the gesture. Chuck figured Ellie would ask them to pause the game, but she just smiled sweetly and went straight to the kitchen. Then Chuck remembered that Ellie was being sympathetic toward Casey and he wouldn't be getting this kindness if it were anyone else in the room.

Chuck turned his attention back to the game, having lost a fraction of a second in his musings. This course normally took Chuck less than three minutes, but the big, clunky vehicle had no acceleration and the turn radius was enormous! And he couldn't believe that Major John Casey was in his apartment, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, laughing and playing a video game. Laughing may have been the wrong word. His face was red and intense, and he seemed to be taking winning very seriously. At first, Chuck was going to let him win, but then at the last half mile, it looked like Casey might beat him outright and the taunts started coming, and Chuck gunned it for the finish line. Casey beat him by half a bumper.

Conceding defeat – something Casey would not let him do graciously – Chuck stood and hovered near the kitchen, waiting to see if he could offer help. He'd been planning to have dinner at least started before Ellie came. Chuck was glad for the added company because Casey was infinitely more pleasant around Ellie and Awesome, though it was never pleasant for Chuck to watch because he knew Casey wasn't being real (and Casey often whispered disturbing things to him that made him squirm). When Casey was recruited to help in the kitchen, Chuck went back to the couch and watched Ryan race the fire truck around the track. She was unnervingly silent, in a way that made Chuck almost as scared of her as Casey.

When they sat down to eat Ellie's ham casserole, Ryan ate slowly, methodically dividing the food by color and eating monochromatically around her plate. When she scrunched the bread in her fist, Casey reached over and took it from her without a word.

Sarah arrived as they were cleaning up, and came armed with ice cream. They hadn't even gotten the bowls out when Casey's phone range. He disappeared briefly for the call and when he came back, he seemed stunned and introspective.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"She's awake."

-----


	5. Chapter 5

**Chuck vs. the Child**

**Chapter 5**

Awake. Ann Elise was awake. The world paused waiting for Casey to move again, and when he finally did it was with whirlwind action.

"Stay here," he ordered, pointing a finger at Ryan, and then he darted out the front door, not bothering to seek an okay from anyone. Inexplicably, Chuck darted after him, completely oblivious to the stuttered protestations uttered by Ellie. Sarah gritted her teeth and ran out too, just barely making it into the back seat of the car before Casey raced out of the lot. She wasn't sure why Chuck had followed, but she was pretty sure Casey wasn't going to keep an eye on him.

"Chuck, what do you think you're doing?" Sarah chastised.

Chuck glanced back at her, his eyes filled with that mixture of fear and confidence that came when he knew what he was doing was both stupid and right. "Ann Elise is awake. We're going to talk to her."

"_You_ are not going near her, Intersect," Casey interjected firmly.

"You shouldn't either, Casey. Neither of you should be near her. Why is the NSA calling you in anyway?"

"They aren't. If General Beckman asks, I haven't touched this case."

Sarah cringed, finding it more difficult to deal with Casey flagrantly disobeying orders than him dispassionately obeying them. "If the NSA didn't call –"

"According to the hospital, I'm next of kin," Casey explained. "Besides, someone has to brief Ann Elise on her most recent cover."

"I can do that," Sarah said. "You and Chuck should stay in the car."

"Like hell," Casey snarled. "She won't trust you. Either of you. You'll be the ones waiting in the car."

"I'm not –" Chuck began, but was cut off by a glare from both Casey and Sarah.

"No, Chuck," Sarah said flatly.

"She's the only one who can clear this up!" Chuck cried, pointing to his head. Sarah sat a little straighter, wondering if Chuck had flashed.

"Clear what up?" she asked.

Casey shot Chuck a warning look that carried the full threat of imminent and painful death should Chuck speak.

"I'm not flashing on her," Chuck protested defensively, then cowered into his seat as Casey continued to glare at him. Sarah tensed and fell silent.

-----

Casey pulled on the sterile gown and mask required for him to enter the clean room area and his crystal blue eyes shot a thousand threats at the NSA Lieutenant guarding Maya's door. He'd finally won out against Agent Walker's protests on account of that next-of-kin status that the hospital had presumed, though he'd nearly been stopped again by the NSA guard. Having a reputation as a killer paid off, though, and it wasn't just a threat. Casey'd kill a man with his bare hands to get close to Maya right now.

Walker and Bartowski were in the hall, failing to be inconspicuous, but at least staying out of the way for now. Bartowski looked like he'd flashed up a storm in the past 24 hours and Casey wished like hell he had time to pull the kid aside and get to the bottom of all that intel before Walker swooped in.

When he entered the clean room, Maya's eyes fluttered open, her pupils dilated from the drugs. Her skin hung from her bones, only a ghost of its former color in the few places where she had a color other than red or purple. The burns covered most of her right leg, but anything above that had been shielded from flame by the debris that had fallen on her. Her clavicle was broken, as was her right arm, and a few ribs. From the look of it, her right hand was crushed and would probably never work properly again. Her face was covered with cuts and bruises.

When she recognized Casey, her eyes immediately darted around the room, checking for other interlopers. Reaching into his pocket for a portable RF analyzer, Casey did a low-level bug sweep of his own, lamenting that he lacked the equipment to search for anything more advanced. The guard told him no one had been in besides the doctors and Casey was sure nothing had been planted in the first twelve hours when he'd been present.

"It's safe to talk," Casey whispered.

"My baby?" she stammered shakily.

"She's fine," Casey assured, pulling a chair by the bed. He wanted to offer a comforting touch, but there was no part of her that wasn't broken.

"She found you? Is she hurt?"

"She's safe with my neighbors. Don't worry. They'll guard her with their lives."

"John, she –"

"Trust me. And listen close; there's not much time." Leaning next to her ear, Casey whispered hurriedly the current addendums to her cover life. He wasn't sure how much she heard, because she kept murmuring about Ryan and singing that silly lullaby.

-----

Chuck got tired of pacing, so he sat down on the floor and thought longingly about sleep. It was stupid for him to come along, because talking to government spy people never cleared things up the way it should have anyway. Maybe he was tired and that was why the Intersect was giving him blurry images and fuzzy details. The flashes before had always been so clear-cut, even if the information was incomplete.

"Was there something specific you wanted to ask her?" Sarah asked sympathetically, finally sinking on the floor next to him.

Chuck shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe seeing her face might trigger something."

"I'm sure it will. Otherwise Casey wouldn't be keeping you from her."

"It's never been this muddled before," Chuck complained. "Like Ryan is only part of the key."

"And you think maybe it's because she looks like her mother."

"I thought … I'm not sure."

Chuck couldn't explain. He'd looked into Ryan's innocent, hazel eyes a dozen times, but the flash only came when she was with Casey. And still it wasn't finished. With a heavy sigh, Chuck glanced down the hallway, catching a glimpse of normal life going on right under his nose – a life filled with people who were concerned about communicable diseases and not bombs at NSA safe houses. Casey got blown up. Casey. His indestructible protector was now beaten, fallible, and strongly obsessed with protecting this mother and child to whom he had no relation despite the hospital-granted next-of-kin status. Ryan's father had been killed shortly after she'd been conceived.

Chuck groaned. How did he know that? The stupid Intersect must be leaking.

Rubbing his tired eyes, he looked sideways at Sarah, and she watched the hall, fully alert. The NSA Lieutenant paced the hall nervously, his eyes darting from his watch to the room where Casey and Ann Elise were talking. Sarah watched him carefully, but Chuck shrugged it off. He'd been threatened by Casey before and recognized the signs. What he didn't recognize –

"Sarah, that man in the denim shirt doesn't belong."

"Did you flash?"

"No. He just doesn't belong."

"He could be visiting."

"The man in that room has a wife and two daughters. The girls –"

"You said you didn't flash."

"I was here all morning. It's not like Casey talks."

Sarah shot him a withering look, but stood urgently. "Stay here."

-----

Casey pressed his lips together, trying to remain calm in an altogether frustrating conversation. By his estimate, the NSA interrogator would arrive in fifteen minutes or less, meaning he had to get Maya's cover straight and disappear fast. The way she was shaking and moaning, it was unlikely she'd be coherent, but even her careless babbling would be sufficient to betray her identity. He pressed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from writhing and she yelped desperately, her eyes going black from the pain.

"I'm still here," Casey soothed. "But there's not much time."

"My baby," she moaned. "She's scared to talk. It's never safe where we are. I keep promising her the next place will be safe. I have to get her safe."

"You will."

"Tell her I love her. Tell her I never meant –"

"I'm not here to collect your final words!"

"Are you crazy coming here?" Maya hissed critically.

Casey rolled his eyes in frustration. This was why they never worked out as a couple. "Do you know how the Sandomierz breeched the perimeter of the safe house? Did they have someone on the inside?"

Maya swallowed hard and her head lolled as her eyes fell everywhere in the room then finally back to Casey. "These last three states we've been shipped to, Hnilo has found us within a month. I thought it was Captain Matkovic. He was the only one at all three places."

"I take it you no longer suspect him. Was he not assigned here?"

"Not since I killed him. There were three agents at the safe house – my handler, the head of witness protection, and someone else I didn't recognize. It had to be one of them."

"Or the Sandomierz could be that good at tracking."

"You can track all you want. You're not going to breech a safe house like that." Her breathing became labored again and Casey looked helplessly as she moaned in pain. She needed the doctor to come in and adjust her meds.

"They're a minimal violence sect," Casey rationalized. "They would've gone in with tear gas and a few fire arms to extract you for Hnilo."

"They may have been non-violent, but whoever let them in would've let them take me and probably would've killed Ryan."

"The bomb must've been set by someone else, then, or triggered accidentally," Casey reasoned. He tensed as he glanced out the window and saw Sarah on the move. Time to make a quick exit. "Or set by someone with a completely different agenda."

Maya pressed her head against the pillow and let out a high pitched whine.

"Hey, calm down," Casey cooed, stroking his fingers through her hair. "Breathe. Slow."

"Hnilo will never stop looking for me."

"Remember how the NSA reports you missing and likely dead? Your handler is gone in the explosion. There's a chance to start clean," Casey assured, keeping one eye on Maya and one in the hall. "We keep this up a little longer. Ryan and I are the only ones who know different right now. We figure out who set this bomb and that's the only one left to protect you from."

With one last look, Casey pulled away from the bed and ducked next to the door, waiting for an opportunity.

"John," Maya gasped. "I set off the bomb."

Casey nodded easily. "How about we keep that between us."

-----

Sarah walked casually toward the interloper in the denim jacket. Now that Chuck mentioned it, his loitering was somewhat suspect because he wasn't even acknowledging passers by. Most of the regular visitors would nod or bow their heads respectfully when passed by doctors or other patients. She started with a casual pass, bumping him lightly and apologizing profusely. He couldn't shake her fast enough. Continuing her survey, she went to the nurse's station and asked where the water fountains were, then looked back at Chuck. Was he flashing or did he always get that deer in the headlights look when he was nervous?

The interlude had the desired effect and the NSA Lieutenant – Houdac – was now suspiciously eyeing Denim-Jacket. Noticing the shift, the man strode purposefully toward Maya's door and Lt. Houdac moved to intercept. The angle made it impossible for Houdac to see the glint of the blade!

Leaping into action, Sarah flew across the hallway, going into a baseball slide and catching the Denim-Jacket's wrist before he could take a swing at Houdac. Demin-Jacket fell on top of her, using her own momentum to give drive to the blade. She rolled quickly and the metal clanged against the floor just next to her ribs, tearing through the blue fabric of her top. Houdac came over them, hauling the man up by his shoulders, but Denim-Jacket seemed to expect it and leapt powerfully backwards, his shoulder cracking against Houdac's jaw and sending the other man reeling. Sarah immediately righted herself, but Denim-Jacket was already plowing toward Maya's door; he was unable to open it because Casey pressed against the opposite side, holding it fervently shut. An alarm sounded as hospital security was alerted to the scuffle.

Houdac launched toward Denim-Jacket again, blocking his swinging blade, then connecting with a roundhouse punch that flattened the man. Sarah cast a sideways glance at Chuck who immediately scurried down the hall. The moment nearly cost her life!

"Sarah!" Chuck cried out and she ducked instinctively as a blade flew over her head. When had Denim Jacket been joined by an accomplice? Where was that –

Her question was answered as Chuck fell behind the nurse's station and let out a frightened shriek.

"Chuck?!"

"Help," came the whimpered reply. Sarah drew her gun and a few moments later, two heads peeked out from behind the nurse's station. A short, but largely muscular man held Chuck by the collar and pressed a gun to his neck.

"Let him go," Sarah warned. She was immediately flanked by both Houdac and Casey.

"This isn't your war," the burly man hissed, his voice heavily accented and sinister as hell.

"Looks like you made it ours," Casey countered. "Now let the kid go."

"Fedir, get up," the man ordered. Denim-Jacket stirred lightly, which only made Casey back up and put a boot on his shoulder.

"Don't think either of you are walking out of this hospital," Houdac threatened, inching toward Chuck and his captor. Fedir shifted under Casey's foot, but stayed on the ground. He gave an answer in Ukrainian but whatever he said made the burly man unhappy. Chuck yelped as he was dragged along the wall toward an exit. Two hospital security men appeared at the end of the hall and ran toward the scene, shouting.

"They're armed," Sarah warned. The approach slowed, but not before the burly man fired off a shot and Fedir tossed a blade. The gunshot connected with the first security guard and the only reason the blade missed the second was because it penetrated Houdac instead – the NSA Lieutenant had jumped out to protect the men. Sarah used the commotion to leap forward and tackle Chuck's captor.

"Run Chuck!" she cried, pointing the man's gun skyward. Casey stomped on Fedir's head rendering him unconscious and dashed to help Sarah. The butt of the gun caught Sarah across the temple and the world went briefly red and starry. She felt herself flung across the room and tasted blood as she hit the opposite wall. Not easily deterred, Sarah struggled to sit up and reached for a blade from her boot, waiting for an opening as Casey closed in. Neither were prepared when the flash bomb went off.

-----

Casey groaned and rolled onto his stomach, trying to regain his bearings. Agent Walker was next to him, unconscious.

"Hey, CIA," Casey called as he prodded her awake. She looked at him blearily, then jerked upright.

"Casey! Where's Chuck?"

Casey lifted his head a little higher and looked around at the disarray. Houdac and one of the security guards were bleeding out on the floor. The second guard was sitting up groggily and reaching for a radio to offer report or call for help. The rest of the floor had been evacuated once the mayhem started.

"Chuck!" Sarah called, standing probably too quickly. Casey gave himself a little more time. Fedir and his accomplice were nowhere in sight and the door to Maya's room was open.

"Maya," he grunted, rolling to his feet. When he pushed open the door, Chuck was crouching behind the bed like a frightened rabbit while Maya offered him whispered assurances. It was almost laughable except that Chuck's eyes were wide like he was flashing. Casey shot him a warning look before Sarah entered and started gushing over him.

-----

"I thought the Sandomierz were non-violent," Sarah pointed out as they drove away from the hospital. It was late because Casey had insisted on waiting for NSA assurances that Maya's extraction would take place that evening. No one was likely to try anything tonight, but it was clear she could not stay at that location.

"It's possible the balance of power has shifted in the last few days."

"Possible," Sarah agreed. She kept looking over her shoulder at Chuck who was being uncharacteristically quiet. "No doubt they know your face now."

"They know all of us now," Casey said quietly. He knew this was not an ideal situation, but it was the way of things. "It shouldn't take them long to track us. The trick is convincing them that we aren't worth coming after."

Sarah laughed heartlessly. "Won't that be fun."

-----

When they arrived at Chuck's apartment, the three entered quietly, all three injured, exhausted, and dejected. Chuck knew Ellie would be waiting up, because that was her way. It was so obvious to him that he didn't think to prepare the others for it.

"Hey, Ellie," he murmured. She was puttering about the kitchen while Awesome lay sprawled on the couch with little Ryan nestled on top. Sarah ducked her head to hide her obvious cuts and made a beeline for the bathroom. Casey was able to avoid notice by going into the darkened living room.

"I thought Devon wasn't staying the night," Chuck commented.

Ellie shrugged at first, then turned her most pitiful look on him. "Ryan didn't want him to go. She wouldn't stay with me alone. She put up this freakish, silent fit."

Chuck hummed disinterestedly. Ryan wasn't the trusting type, but he knew Ellie was taking this as a personal front to her future mothering skills. "Captain was the one who changed her bandages in the hospital," Chuck pointed out.

"I know …" Ellie began, and then she stopped suddenly, her head cocking to the side. "What happened to your neck?"

Chuck immediately put his hand up and felt the bruise where his Ukrainian terrorist hostage taker had whacked him a little too hard. He stammered and looked sideways because he was a terrible liar and completely unprepared.

"Is that a hickey?" Ellie asked.

Chuck stuttered a little more, but decided to go with it. "Yes. Yes, this is … um. Casey wanted to talk to Ann Elise alone. Me and Sarah got bored."

Ellie raised a knowing eyebrow. "Those broom closets get small don't they?"

Chuck's jaw dropped and they both blushed and looked away from each other. Dear Lord, it was time to kick Casey out and sleep next to his fake girlfriend who he was currently fake reconciling with by apparently fake sleeping together. Chuck swore for real, then backed out of the kitchen and went to the living room where Casey seemed to be watching Ryan sleep on Awesome – but perhaps he was working on a plan of action. Whatever he was doing, he was not leaving fast enough. Carefully, Chuck knelt by the couch and lifted the girl.

"Hey, Supergirl," he grunted as he handed her over to Casey. "How was your night?"

She stirred lightly, but then buried her face against Casey's neck. "Awesome," she murmured.

Chuck and Casey both froze, staring at the girl, minds reeling.

"Did she –" Chuck whispered.

"Yeah," Casey answered, looking around the living room as if there were magic hidden in the walls. "Yeah she did."

Chuck covered his eyes at the sight of Casey and the girl together, fighting the flash as it came. Only this time it wasn't blurry and incomplete. It was clear. When breath and light returned to his senses, Casey was right behind him, whispering in his ear.

"I hear everything that's said in here, Bartowski. Ann Elise and Ryan are off limits to your flashes and if I hear even a hint of you spilling to Agent Walker, I will –"

"Casey," Chuck interrupted, not needing the mental image of Casey ripping him limb from limb right before bed. "I'm not flashing on them; I'm flashing on you. You're the reason the Ukraine job went south."

Chuck looked uncertainly at Casey as he glowered ominously. "That's a wrong analysis, Intersect, and one you best not repeat."

-----


	6. Chapter 6

**Chuck vs. the Child**

**Chapter 6**

Casey groaned as he awoke, aching from the residual burns, cuts, and bruises of the nights before. Getting blown up did not agree with him. His muscles ached, his skin screamed out the location of some of the deeper cuts, and his mattress was uncomfortably misshapen because he was sleeping on the side instead of in the middle. Opening his eyes, he glanced across the pillow to where little Ryan slept and couldn't help but take a moment to wonder at her presence. She had so much of her mother in her, excepting the additional talent of actually staying on her side of the bed – something her mother had never achieved. Casey smirked at the memory of that night in Rio.

The night before, he'd set Ryan on the bed and went to sleep on the couch, but when he stood up twenty minutes later, there she was lying on the floor nearby. So he'd laid her on the couch, put a blanket over her, and went to the bed. It took less than five minutes for her to come in. He'd set some strict guidelines before letting her crawl under the covers and warned her that this was not by any means going to be a regular occurrence. She'd taken it as a rejection and curled up in a nearby chair, which would've twisted his heart into a knot if he admitted to caring at all – which he didn't.

Considering Ryan's face carefully, he saw Maya – the nose, the dimples – and he wondered if maybe he should be looking for bits of himself. Even if she was small for her age, the numbers didn't quite add up. There was that undisclosed hotel room during the D.C. briefing before they parted, but still, the years didn't add up. Casey wouldn't admit that that disappointed him, because … well… it didn't. He was no father and even now he was in over his head.

Rolling out of bed, Casey went to the medicine cabinet for some painkillers. He showered quickly, shaved meticulously, and then considered his face in the mirror. Too many bruises were bad for sales and though being a sales associate at the BuyMore was just a cover, Casey took too much pride in his work to not care. He could beat out those other dumb asses if need be, but need dictated a low profile, so middle-road would have to do. He pulled out the concealer and started masking the black eye he'd gotten the night before. The stuff could take ten years off his face, but he never used it to cover more than the bruises.

Peeking back into the bedroom at the still-sleeping Ryan, he wondered if she'd wake up in pain too. The bandage on her arm looked fresh and it made sense since she'd been in Ellie's care the majority of the night. In fact – Casey leaned down to smell her hair – yep. Apple spice shampoo. She'd even had a bath. It was a weight off his mind knowing Ryan was safe with Ellie Bartowski. Now if only she were available today for babysitting.

It was just after 6:30am, meaning he had an hour and a half to get things ready before General Beckman called for the morning briefing. He opted for the truth on explaining the night before (at least to the point where the hospital had called him) because two men were injured, one mortally, and they deserved at least that. The preliminary report took twenty minutes, and he faxed it over so the General could review it before the morning briefing. Next order of business was breakfast because he hated eating after the others came. It made him feel rushed and distracted. He opted for eggs because he didn't know if Ryan's distaste for bread extended to all carbohydrates. Ryan was another complication he needed desperately to share with his superiors. They'd moved Maya's location the night before and he was pretty sure they weren't going to tell him where to find her. Only he couldn't keep hold of the child indefinitely.

Casey tensed when he heard a shuffle over the sizzle of the eggs. Ryan stood in the doorway, hair all askew, eyes vacant and sad.

"Mornin', Baby-Mine," he greeted, calling on that lullaby that Maya had been singing the night before. "I didn't hear you get up."

She crossed the room and sat tiredly at the kitchen table.

"I talked to your mom last night," he tried again. "She says she misses you."

Ryan whimpered and shuddered, fisting the fabric of the place mat. Casey switched off the stove and took a step closer to her.

"I heard you talk last night, I know you can."

Finally she looked up at him with watery eyes and mouthed the words, "Is it safe?"

"It's safe to talk. At least for awhile," Casey assured. He'd done his customary bug sweeps for the morning and while they seemed like paranoia these days, early in the mission CIA had slipped in a couple and he knew she wasn't above trying again.

Ryan looked at her hands then back at him. "Who are you really?"

"Right now, I'm your Uncle John," he answered evenly. Her chin quivered with the weight of the alias and she looked at her hands again.

"Do you know me? The real me?"

Casey came to the table, and knelt beside her chair. Being as he normally ate alone, there was only the one chair at the table. The other had been relegated to desk duty in the study. Forcing himself not to think about the location of the other chair, Casey placed a hand over hers, drawing her attention to his eyes so she could see he was speaking the truth. "I knew your mother before you were born. We were good friends. I suppose that's why she lets me take care of you."

"Mr. Chuck and Miss Ellie?"

"What about them?"

"Are they real? Really brother and sister?"

"Yep. They are for real," Casey chuckled. "Boggles the mind, doesn't it?"

Ryan's breath hitched as her tortured eyes struggled to hold back tears. "When do I get to be real again?"

Casey choked like someone was wringing out his insides and he pulled Ryan into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly as she burst into tears. He wanted to tell her to be quiet and that everything would be okay, but that didn't seem right. So he took her into his sound-proof closet and held her tight.

"It's safe to scream in here," he told her, and her anguished heart bled onto the walls as her tears fell. Casey had once told Sarah that he had no desire to settle down and have a 'normal' life. He'd chosen the greater good of serving his country, and the decision was so old now, he didn't consider the other options. He did believe in the greater good. He did. But now he could see no good greater than making this little girl feel safe and restoring peace to her life.

-----

Chuck snorted as his alarm clock sounded and he rolled over to silence it. He'd forgotten he was sharing a bed long enough to roll into Sarah and whack her instead. She shrugged him off tiredly and started smacking at the table looking for the snooze button. Once Chuck got over yelping, he sat up quickly and rescued the clock before she could kill it completely.

"Hi, uh, good – g'morning," he mumbled, scrambling out of bed and retreating to the bathroom. Sarah rolled over, pulled the covers to her ears, and went back to sleep.

Chuck went through his morning routine quickly, because he didn't know how much time Sarah needed and he hadn't reset the alarm to account for an extra person. He went to the kitchen and made sure the coffee was percolating, then went back to the bedroom. Sarah was still firmly under the covers.

"Sarah," Chuck whispered. Where the covers fell from her face, he could see her lip was busted and her chin bruised. And most of her arm – dear God! He'd lent her a t-shirt and shorts to sleep in and he tried not to adore her too much, but she was beautiful and in his bed and wearing his clothes and that was pretty hot, even if she was all beat up.

"Sarah," he said again, nudging her shoulder.

Her face scrunched up like she was aching or confused or both. As she shifted and wriggled, she must have noticed her loose clothes and remembered where she was. "Chuck, what …"

"We're supposed to meet Casey in forty-five minutes."

"Right," she grunted, flopping on her back so that the blanket fell around her waist. Did the bruises never end?

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," she answered. "There's a bag in the back seat of my car. Small, teal. Can you get it for me?"

"Sure," he said. "Do you want coffee?"

"I can get it. Just get the bag."

Chuck nodded again, found her keys, and went out for the bag. When he came back, she was still in bed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chuck checked again. "Maybe you have a concussion or something."

He pulled open her eyelids, not knowing what he was checking for, but he figured if there were something weird it would be obvious. He resisted the urge to call in Ellie, not because he wasn't concerned, but because he was sure Sarah would hurt him if he went too far. She swatted him away.

"I'm fine," Sarah insisted. "Now go out to the living room and write down everything you remember about what happened at the hospital last night."

"Why?"

"A man nearly died, Chuck. You're a witness. It's important."

Chuck decided he didn't like pre-coffee Sarah. He went out, poured her a cup, added a drop of vanilla, and two spoons of sugar, because he'd watched her once in the kitchen and that's what she always did for herself. When he went back to the bedroom, the door was still tipped open as he left it and Sarah was still in bed.

"Coffee," he asked gently, coming up beside her and wafting the mug by her nose. A small smile spilled across her lips and she looked at him with sad eyes that told him he wasn't allowed to know her so well. He left the cup on the nightstand and ducked out before the moment could be spoiled with words, then as per her instructions, he started writing everything down about the night before. Fifteen minutes later, Sarah emerged from the room, completely transformed into her sweet, perky self, and all Chuck could do was wonder why Ellie took four times as long to achieve that transformation.

-----

Sarah's head ached to the point where she was seeing sparkles, but at least she could hear out of both ears. When Chuck had set the coffee next to her, her heart welled with wistful longing. She was so accustomed to people shoving coffee in her hand to keep her going strong and sharp after too many long hours. People wanting her to do her job when the only manner of achieving it was caffeine and miracles. With Chuck, the gesture spoke a thousand endearments that could not be put into words. The specially prepared drink in her hands was an offering: Chuck asked nothing of her but rather he acknowledged her suffering and gave what little help he could. Like the pizza with no olives. Sarah had never had such an emotional response to coffee.

Unfortunately there was neither time nor opportunity to explore the possibilities. Chuck was her charge, not her friend. With Casey more distracted and divided than usual, it was her job to keep the house of cards from collapsing. Casey had tucked the girl away for the morning briefing, and he looked beaten and weary as though he'd already received a fair berating before they'd arrived. Director Graham looked more irate than Sarah had ever seen him before, and she expected to receive a few reprimands herself.

"There were two that we interacted with," she reviewed. "The younger was Fedir and the elder did not reveal himself until things got hairy. We never caught his name –"

"Hnilo," Chuck interrupted, making her do a double take.

Casey scoffed. "That was not Anton Hnilo."

Chuck looked sideways at Casey like he didn't even realize he'd spoken. "No, I mean…" Chuck mumbled, searching for words. "Every time you see Hnilo, this man is not more than three or four people away."

"You're suggesting they share ranks," General Beckman interjected.

"Given his tactics last night, it wouldn't surprise me if he's moved up recently," Casey commented, wincing almost imperceptibly.

"We'll compare the sketch you sent to our intel on Hnilo," Beckman acknowledged.

"You sent a sketch?" Chuck asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Casey grunted and ignored him in his usual manner. "I didn't know you could draw."

"The Unsub was the primary aggressor in this case," Sarah interrupted before Chuck could ramble too far. "He told us very certainly that this was not our war."

"Does that mean anything to you?" Director Graham asked.

"Hnilo and Raynet are fighting for dominance," Chuck stated matter-of-factly, in his Intersect voice. "Hnilo's power weakened after the NSA Faldio mission and he's trying to reassert dominance by tracking and killing all involved. Raynet conspired with an undercover NSA agent to take power and failed."

"Raynet doesn't sound familiar," Casey mused, squinting his eyes like he was looking into his brain.

"Could he be the Unsub?" Sarah asked. She didn't know about Hnilo or Raynet, but given the Faldio mission was NSA, she didn't expect to.

"No Raynet is bald," Chuck stated matter-of-factly. Everyone stopped and looked at him and he looked back, surprised to be put on the spot. "Not shaved," Chuck clarified, drawing circles around his own head to indicate. "Actually… you know."

"Why didn't you mention this before, Mr. Bartowski?" Beckman pressed and Chuck stammered some. She chose to move on rather than wait. "We will find fresh information on Hnilo and Raynet for your review. Perhaps there are more tidbits to be gleaned from the Intersect."

Chuck sighed and Sarah smiled sympathetically.

"Major Casey, I understand you spoke to the witness," Director Graham said and Beckman bristled. "Did she say anything of relevance?"

"Mostly incoherent ramblings, sir," Casey lied. "She was certainly concerned that she was the target."

"Did she see anyone entering the safe house?" Graham persisted.

"Only through the front door."

The Director pressed Casey for more details, which he gave evasively, occasionally seeking approval from General Beckman to speak. It was odd. After several more minutes of chatter, Sarah pointed out that she and Chuck needed to be at work very soon, so they were dismissed, but Sarah did overhear Beckman asking for some private words with Casey. Had he not been chastised yet? She wondered briefly if he'd talk honestly with her about the whole situation seeing as he'd drawn her in pretty deep to the lies already. But she knew also that she already knew more of the truth than he wanted to share, and she wouldn't be dropping information if their situations were reversed, so all that was left to do was protect the Intersect.

-----

Casey stood stiffly, facing off to General Beckman without making eye contact. He could handle torture, politics, and targeted killings, but he'd always been convinced in his cause and somehow it helped knowing that others were willing to put their life on the line for the same greater good. Protecting Maya and Ryan, while it seemed the greatest good he could do, felt like a selfish venture by comparison, and he had no idea how to defend it. He hated making excuses anyway, so he didn't try.

"Major, how many times must I remove you from this case?"

"Just once more, General."

"You should have called in when the hospital called you. Now you've put yourself and the Intersect in jeopardy."

Casey stayed silent, letting her rant.

"Is there a reason you brought Mr. Bartowski along on this little adventure?"

"He insisted on coming," Casey answered automatically.

"And you saw no need to disagree," she criticized. "Major, of the two of you, you should be in command of this operation."

"I am aware."

"I am having serious doubts that you can complete this mission."

Casey flinched at the rebuke. He knew his job and there were very few agents who would be prepared to serve his country the way he did.

"The Sandomierz, and possibly Hnilo, have a grudge against you now. It is important that we protect your identity, given what Mr. Bartowski said, and I am not convinced we can achieve that while you are protecting the Intersect."

"General, if I may speak," Casey said evenly, waiting for a nod before continuing. "This mission is nearly complete. Introducing a new handler at this stage may cause significant disruption in Bartowski's rhythm, especially if accompanied by my disappearance."

"Lieutenant Coleson will be covering the shopping plaza. His orders are to step in and protect the Intersect if need be. Do not hesitate to call him in. Until we understand the shift in power that occurred in the Sandomierz and the extent of last night's damage, it is important to protect your identity."

"Yes, ma'am." Casey swallowed hard. It was starting. This was why he'd never disobeyed orders before. Having others assigned to your op without your request – it was disgraceful.

-----


	7. Chapter 7

**Chuck vs. the Child**

**Chapter 7**

Casey was glad his shift today did not start until 11:30. It gave him time away from his charge to organize his thoughts and gather information. He understood that implicit order from the General that he should be gathering recent intel on Hnilo and Raynet. Casey hadn't looked into Hnilo in years, and it brought back sufficient unpleasant memories that he wouldn't enjoy it unless he found one photo of the man with a bullet hole right through the middle of the forehead. Given what he'd heard that morning, he'd have no such luck.

First things first, though. He went to his sound-proof closet and retrieved Ryan. Casey had never realized the side-benefit of the closet that if he hid inside, he didn't have to be quiet. It also disturbed him that anyone hiding out in his place would achieve similar advantage over him. He'd fix it later. Ryan sat on the floor, hugging her knees, completely silent. Her tears had dried, but she didn't look up at him.

"Hey girl," he said softly, lifting her up and carrying her to the kitchen. The eggs were long cold, and he stood at the counter picking them out of the pan with his fingers, swaying lightly with Ryan in his arms and wishing he could remember that silly song. He held her while he went through his morning routine of watering the trees, collecting the mail, checking the bugs in the Bartowski apartment, and sweeping the car for explosives (that one was relatively new). He cut up an apple for Ryan and ended up eating half himself, then he told her to get dressed and helped her tie that silly red cape over her shoulders.

At ten, he went to the shopping plaza and staked out for ten minutes before he located Coleson. The man was not skilled at blending in, but Casey had reviewed his record, and he was a skilled fighter. He had half a mind to let Coleson know how easily he'd been spotted, but Ryan was holding his hand, and that might get tricky. Next, he went to the Weinerlicious.

There was a line inside and Ryan pressed her cheek against his thigh. Agent Walker glared at him in between customers and he started to think how different his life would be if he did have a child and settled. It was not something he'd choose. Casey figured he knew himself pretty well by this point in life, but this morning when he'd looked in the mirror, he hardly recognized the man looking back.

"You brought her with you?" Agent Walker hissed at him when he reached the front of the line. She'd taken a beating when the flash bomb went off, but had covered it well. Casey had never really taken note of her injuries before. Ryan was definitely making him soft.

"What was I going to do? Leave her in the closet all day?" he retorted snidely, then put a palm on Ryan's head. "Just a plain dog for the little lady. No bun."

"There's a suspicious car out front setting up surveillance," she said sharply, pulling out a Styrofoam plate and a dog. "Ketchup?"

"No." Casey motioned toward the window and pointed. "That one there is Coleson. NSA. Was there another?"

She pursed her lips and looked critically into the parking lot. "That's the only constant. There's a blue Taurus that keeps circling through every twenty minutes. That's $2.58."

Casey nodded and paid for the hot dog and Ryan smiled when he handed the plate down to her. He didn't like the idea of circling cars and started to wish he had more than one man backing him today. He pulled out his cell quickly and she did the same. "I'll make sure Coleson knows. If something goes down and you don't see him moving, here's his number. I gotta take Ryan in and get her acquainted with the store layout."

-----

Chuck didn't even see when Casey came in. He was too busy avoiding Morgan with the camera, which unfortunately pushed him into a wall of customers only a few of whom he could actually help. It was another half hour of answering phones and fixing cell phones before he noticed the red cape loitering by the TVs and he was glad they were showing Shrek on at least ten of the big screens. Ryan was watching with rapture like she'd never seen it before, but every now and then Casey would snap and she'd run to his side immediately.

"Bartowski," Casey whispered and Chuck jumped out of his skin. When had Casey snuck up behind him?

"Eyes open for Sandomierz," Casey warned, leaving that ghost of breath on his neck that made Chuck shiver.

"Casey!" Big Mike hollered, making them both stand straighter. Casey stepped away, looking completely innocent. He snapped his fingers and Ryan came running, but he motioned her to stay behind with Chuck while he stepped out of the Nerd Herd booth to talk to Big Mike.

"This isn't a day care," Big Mike carped as Casey directed them out of ear shot. Chuck figured he was getting a spiel of liability and he watched briefly before turning his attention to Ryan. He saw Casey's jaw tense the way it did when he was trying hard not to beat the crap out of someone, and it made him happy.

"Hello, Supergirl," Chuck greeted, lifting Ryan and sitting her on the counter. "Maybe you can help me with this Blackberry."

Ryan cocked her head and watched with interest as he worked on phones, computers, and other such things. Every now and then, her little fingers would tip something towards her so she could see it better. One look at the fifth laptop he picked up and she said "That one's a lost cause." Ten minutes later, Chuck came to the same conclusion. He glanced up and saw Casey back on the sales floor and wondered if he was now the designated babysitter. No sense thinking too hard on it so long as he could work like normal. And he didn't think anything of it until Ryan tensed and jumped off the counter.

"What is it?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder before she could run. She crouched low behind the counter and tugged his hand.

"Time to hide," she hissed. Chuck crouched behind her, then peeked around for signs of the Sandomierz. One. Two. Five! Where was – oh, God! Chuck hit the speed dial on his phone and Sarah answered on the second ring.

"Sarah, a big scary guy just took Casey into the back. There are five other Sandomierz in here."

"Stay down. I'll be right there," she said confidently, then the phone clicked. Chuck sat on the floor and leaned against the counter. He could already feel the sweat all over his skin. One day, they'd build a new Intersect and he'd be free of this. He hoped.

"Taking a break?" Morgan asked, leaning over the countertop and looking down at him. Chuck looked up, startled. Ryan sidled away, but Chuck took hold of her hand. He had no doubt that Casey would kill him if he lost her.

"Chuck if you were going to join Big Brothers, you could've told me. You're making me look bad in front of Anna," Morgan smiled, holding the camera around to get a shot of Chuck and Ryan squatting on the floor.

"Morgan, this is Ryan, Casey's niece." Chuck introduced, swallowing hard and trying to appear as though five evil terrorists were not lurking in the BuyMore waiting to kill him.

"Family," Morgan nodded defeatedly. "That ruins the alien theory."

Chuck looked over at the girl, then back at his best friend. "Hey, Morgan, can you do me a favor. Sarah's coming and –"

"Say no more, bro. I got your back," Morgan smiled, putting the camera down and reaching a hand to the little girl.

"Thanks, buddy. And remember, she's Casey's."

"I'm your Samwise Gamgee."

"Thanks."

Morgan and Ryan disappeared into the Home Entertainment Room before Chuck dared sneak a peek over the desk. The image of Casey being escorted out the back door played ominously through his mind. He stood straight when Sarah dashed in and sighed with relief. The relief only lasted a moment before he felt the gun pressed into the small of his back and the voice urging him toward the back entrance. He couldn't remember when he was first able to distinguish the big and small guns by the feel of them pressed against his skin, and he held his breath looking for assurances from Sarah. She averted her eyes and he made conscious effort not to follow. Five in the store, one holding a gun to his back. He couldn't help the prayer falling from his lips as he was led to the back of the store.

-----

Morgan liked any excuse to hang out in the home entertainment room. He'd seen the recent movies a bajillion times over, and he liked the chance to put on the classics. He found 'The Land Before Time' (the first one) and popped it in.

"You're John Casey's niece?" he started, trying to make conversation. She looked at him with wide hazel eyes, occasionally glancing to the door. She didn't look about to answer, so Morgan kept talking.

"I suppose it makes sense. He doesn't seem like an only child. He's probably a middle child isn't he? Middle child would make sense. You know, Chuck's the baby of the family and that has done all sorts of damage to the man. He's close to his sister, though. I'd like to be close to his sister. Well, not now. Now I have Anna. She's nice."

Morgan sat on the couch next to Ryan and pulled out a photo. "This is her. Yep. She's my Anna Banana."

Ryan took the picture and held it between both hands, glancing between that and the big screen as they watched the movie. Morgan disappeared briefly to the break room and warmed up some ham-and-cheese hot pockets for them. When he got back, she was standing between the couch and the screen, still holding the picture of Anna.

"Heh," he laughed, pointing to the screen. "You ever seen this before? It's a classic, I'm telling you. You have to be well-versed in the classics. Else you miss out on all the good jokes. Yup, yup, yup."

Morgan plopped on the couch, taking the photo from her and handing her the food. She started separating the meat from the crust of the hot pocket.

"I can't believe you're dissecting a hot pocket," he laughed, but started pulling his own apart to see if there were any appeal in the method. She started picking out the ham and eating that, so he did too.

-----

Sarah had her hand on her concealed gun when she entered the BuyMore. Her breath quickened when she saw that look on Chuck's face and the man pressed far too close to him for comfort. She identified Fedir and the Unsub immediately by the computer scanners, but didn't know who the other enemies might be. Sending a quick text to Coleson, she put on her best fake smile and made a beeline for Chuck. She only made it half way before she felt her arm twisted behind her back and the gun pressed to her spine. For the bruises on her wrist, she felt the tears stinging her eyes, but instinct took charge and she twisted free, breaking the man's hand and stepping away, leaving him on the floor, reeling. She cast a quick look back to make sure she knew to avoid him when he regained his footing. This was not a shady night-club and she was not comfortable killing someone in the BuyMore the week before Christmas.

The move immediately brought two more people coming to intercept her, and she couldn't help but cursing the bright-red uniform skirt she was wearing. She feared they'd take their anger out on Chuck and she could only imagine what might happen to Casey. Chuck was shuffled through the service entrance that led to the back ally and dumpsters. Pulling her phone, she texted Coleson again. Walking straight out seemed foolhardy, considering there could be twenty more armed Sandomierz there. Plus, there were two more men closing in on her.

-----

"Do you talk at all?" Morgan asked Ryan, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth. "I thought sure I saw you talking. Or is it you'll only talk to people you know? Well, I'm Morgan, but you already know that. I'm Chuck's best friend. We've known each other forever."

She rolled her eyes at him, then started separating the cheese from the bread.

"I gotta know what this thing with the bread is," Morgan said, as she stuffed the bread into her pocket. "This is just too weird. I know Casey was weird and maybe it runs in the family."

Ryan looked at him, then glanced around the rest of the room. She dropped her head then whispered conspiratorially. "It's for Jonah."

"Who's Jonah?"

Ryan looked at her hands and swallowed sadly. "He doesn't like the meat. He eats the bread, I eat the meat and then we don't get hungry."

"Well, that makes sense, I guess."

The girl poked at the discarded cheese on her plate, then offered it to Morgan.

"Is Jonah your brother?" Morgan persisted. "I always thought it would be cool having a brother. Or a twin. Especially an identical twin. Someone you could trade places with or who would always be there. Chuck and I are like twins. Except he's taller. And better with computers. I have better hair, though. Chuck can't grow a beard like this."

Ryan snorted with laughter, then covered her mouth, embarrassed. She tensed and hid behind the couch when the door rattled. Morgan stood up and opened it.

"Hello, sir," he greeted evenly. "The room is currently –"

He didn't even finish the words before he felt the hand on his forehead knocking him over. Rolling confused onto his knees, Morgan watched as the man circled the room. Ryan scampered away when he came around the couch, but he vaulted over the couch, snatched her, and started running.

-----

Casey was fast running out of wild cards. He was bound and surrounded by four armed men and one windbag who insisted on knowing Maya's location. Coleson was next to him, hands behind his head, waiting for his turn to get duct taped. When Chuck came out the back door, Casey's heart sank – more for thinking that Ryan was alone than thinking the Intersect caught. Casey had told Ryan to get to the hospital and find Ellie if anything went wrong, but he was running out of hope. One Bartowski would lead to the other and the Sandomierz were starting to strike him as the execution style killers. The blue Taurus was parked at the top of the ally and he had this crazy vision of himself and the others dismembered limb for limb and arranged neatly in the trunk.

"Some backup," Casey grumbled to Coleson.

Coleson sneered and bumped Casey heavily as their captors threw them against each other. Chuck watched the exchange with disbelief as their captors started taping his wrists together. There wasn't much time. Casey and Coleson could handle themselves, but Bartowski would be useless if his legs were bound. Once next to each other, Casey slipped a pocket knife from his sleeve and worked alternately on his bonds and Coleson's. He needed a gun and the ability to walk.

"I ask for backup and they send you. I picked you out of the lot in ten minutes," Casey jeered.

"What about you? Did you even try to defend yourself? They walked you right out here!"

"I have a charge here!"

"And you've masterfully handled him!"

Casey glanced up and saw Chuck trembling as his wrists were yanked harshly behind his back and the duct tape started. Casey's legs were free now, but he needed a hand. Either he or Coleson did. Plus, he needed to not give anything away about Chuck's importance, because it was likely the Sandomierz were still ignorant of anything but his face.

"Have you even been in the field before?" Casey mocked not even listening to Coleson's response. He looked up briefly. Agent Walker was on the roof. His last angel. He didn't need a hand anymore. Slipping his blade to safety, he charged his shoulder against Coleson and Coleson wrestled back. Two of the Sandomierz jumped in to pull them apart and they both used the momentum to spring into action.

Coleson kicked his opponent in the face, then rolled against him, trampling him and taking his gun in the process. Casey used brute force from his shoulder to shove his opponent against the brick wall, then he charged for Chuck, coming between him and any hostage takers. He manhandled Chuck behind a dumpster for cover, then looked back to see how Coleson was faring. Casey slipped out the blade again and took a few more sweeps, getting his hands free, then he cut Chuck's hands free as well.

"Stay!" he ordered Chuck, jumping out, grabbing a knife from his boot, and felling the nearest Sandomierz so he could get his gun. They were down to the windbag and a man with a machine gun, but those two were retreating to the Taurus. Their escape was cutoff by the arrival of SWAT.

-----

"Hey!" Morgan cried, chasing after the child snatcher. The man carried Ryan under one arm and she struggled, but did not scream.

"Hey! Stop!" Morgan hollered again. When had it gotten so loud in the store? No one could hear him. He darted after the man, but the crowds were thick.

"Kidnapper!" he hollered, and only those nearest him heard and let him past. He darted to the Nerd Herd stand and jumped on top. "Stop! Kidnapper!" he hollered, then reached down and plugged in the P.A.

"Anna, pineapple! Black suit, small child."

Lester and Jeff both looked at Morgan standing on the counter top and pointing. Anna met his eye from her station by the front door. All four of them leapt into action, chasing after the black suited man. Anna intercepted him with her deceptively sweet smile at the door, stalling long enough for Jeff to charge in from the side and tackle him. Anna yanked Ryan from his arms and pulled her to safety while Lester and Morgan joined the tackle.

"Grimes!" Big Mike shouted storming over to the scene.

"Call the police! We have a kidnapper!" Morgan cried as the three of them struggled to hold the man down. Big Mike delivered a swift punch that knocked the man out and they dragged him to one of the side offices so that they wouldn't disrupt any of the Christmas shoppers.

-----


	8. Chapter 8

**Chuck vs. the Child**

**Chapter 8 / Epilogue**

The blue Taurus didn't last long against the SWAT truck, although it did try. Given the civilians in the area, SWAT used minimal force and still had the situation well contained. Casey checked over Bartowski, but aside from having the hair ripped off his arms when the duct tape came off, he wasn't more than shaken. Agent Walker was sitting on the ground, but had enough sense and pride in tact to be fending off anyone who might help her. Coleson was barely scratched and Casey admired that about the man. If Casey ever left the NSA or this assignment, he figured Coleson had what it took to keep the world from imploding. The man still had a lot to learn.

"Major –"

"No rank," Casey interrupted distractedly. "Still have cover to keep."

"Of course," the agent answered, flipping through his notepad, wanting a statement.

"Any word on those left inside?" Casey asked before he could be questioned.

"Agent Walker directed us to one that she'd incapacitated. We're getting local help because the police were called in on a kidnapping."

"Kidnapping!" Casey's eyes went so wide they nearly fell out of his head.

"Attempted kidnapping," the agent clarified. "The man was apprehended. Local authorities –"

"Has the NSA questioned the man?"

"No. Why –"

"Is he still on sight?"

"Well, yes," the agent stammered, confused that now he was being questioned instead of the other way around.

"Bartowski and I will go in. I will send signal if this man is identified as Sandomierz."

"But, sir!" the agent protested.

Casey wasn't listening. He snapped his fingers in the air and summoned Chuck in a loud voice. Casey's insides were shaking at the thought of someone abducting Ryan and while he prayed the incident was unrelated, experience told him that that was wishful thinking. When Chuck and Casey entered the BuyMore, it was crowded as ever, with customers fighting for those last minute gifts. The Nerd Herd booth was completely vacant.

"Where did you leave Ryan?" Casey whispered and Chuck indicated the Home Entertainment Room.

"She and Morgan were going to watch a movie."

Casey bristled immediately because Morgan was at the front of the store talking animatedly to a police officer, apparently taking him through the events. Ryan was nowhere to be seen. A moment later, a man was led out to the parking lot in hand cuffs and Morgan threw taunts as the police officer walked him by. The man stood tall and defiant, not at all concerned about his current situation, but Casey distinguished a bloody shoe print on the side of his face that probably belonged to Anna. Casey looked sideways and Chuck's eyes were wide with flash and fear.

"Look familiar?"

Chuck nodded and his lips parted, but he was too frightened to speak.

"Sandomierz?"

"Worse," Chuck croaked. It was all Casey needed to hear. He sent a quick message that the NSA intercept the local police in the parking lot, then approached the front of the store cautiously, his heart beating harder ever moment Ryan did not appear.

"Grimes," Casey said sharply, "What happened?"

"That dude came charging into the store and tried to take your niece!" Morgan answered excitedly, glad to be a hero. "He was pretty intimidating, but we kept calm. Anna, Jeff, Lester, and me swooped in like the Fantastic Four and took out the bad guy. I bet you've never seen excitement like that."

"Never," Casey nodded distractedly, looking around. "Where's my girl?"

"In Big Mike's office. You should've seen it. I never knew the old guy could throw a punch like that!"

Casey left Chuck to absorb Morgan's continued storytelling and went to the office. The door was tipped open and Ryan's giggles emerged sweetly as Big Mike bounced her on his knee. A huge smile was plastered across her face and Casey's heart soared at the trust in her eyes. He knocked softly and entered the room. As soon as Ryan saw him, she jumped out of Big Mike's lap and ran into Casey's open arms.

"Baby-Mine," he said into her ear as relief flooded through him.

"People came," she whispered, her soft breath tickling his ear. "They came to help me. All of them came! Even the ones who didn't know me!"

'Don't get too used to it,' Casey thought, but didn't say out loud. She was just too happy.

-----

Chuck was at Casey's apartment for the second time in a week, frustrated that he had to page through more intel and wait for the Intersect to flash. Hnilo, Raynet, Hnilo, Hnilo. The best anyone could figure, the Sandomierz had undergone a coup shortly after the safe house bombing, leaving one of the more violent members in charge, but that man and his blue Taurus were now in the custody of the U.S. government and Chuck did not like thinking about what might happen to him there. The Ukraine was a different matter. Chuck kept trying to clear up what exactly had happened on that job when Casey was there. He'd fulfilled his individual assignment of protecting his charge, but at the cost of the greater goal of the mission. No one had expected the two tasks to come in conflict. Chuck was glad that somewhere deep in Casey's past, he'd chosen to protect a person over a mission, but given Casey's record since, he worried that that man was long buried.

The silence was exasperating to Chuck's ears. Every time Casey snipped that stupid bonsai, it irritated him. Every time the pages ruffled, or the refrigerator hummed. But Casey never let him listen to music when matters of national security were involved. He'd brought an MP3 player, but when he asked, Casey said no to that too. Now he was sitting here in the loudest silence he'd ever experienced. Hnilo. Raynet. Hnilo. Raynet. Raynet. Raynet. The man who killed Hnilo. Wait! What?!

"Casey, I think Hnilo is dead."

"Huh?"

"I don't know," Chuck said, looking at the photo again. Sometimes the Intersect flashed, sometimes it leaked. "I think this is the guy that killed him."

"Does he have a name?"

"No. But here he is standing next to that bald guy – the one from the hospital."

Casey considered the photo, grunted, then went back to his pruning, so Chuck went back to scrolling. Ryan wandered in, rolled up bologna in one hand, and went to one of the computers in the dining room. A few minutes later, the room filled with music.

"Wait a second! How come you let her turn on music but when I ask, you say no?!"

Casey looked into the dining room where Ryan was dancing then looked squarely at Chuck, his voice dead panned. "She wasn't stupid enough to ask first."

-----

Morgan climbed in through Chuck's window the night before Christmas Eve, DVD in hand.

"There's leftover ham in the fridge," Chuck said absently, his eyes focused on the game he was playing. "But if you touch that pie, Ellie will personally kill you, and as fair warning, it will not be done with mercy."

"Can I use your computer?" Morgan asked, though his eyes were now looking hungrily toward the kitchen.

"Now?"

"I want to get the Morgan Tours edited for the day after Christmas and tomorrow is cookie making and the next day is Christmas."

"I don't have video editing software."

"So download a trial version of something. You have the speed and memory."

"'Kay," Chuck agreed, but continued playing. Morgan could go scavenge for food until he died or found a good save point. It wouldn't take long.

Two hours later, Morgan was fighting with his chosen program, adding music, and tweaking the files. He wanted to cut eight hours of footage into a five minute video and an extended thirty minute video. Chuck wondered how Morgan managed not to get fired, goofing off so much at work, but then Chuck figured he'd like his life a lot more if he lived as carefree as Morgan. He wandered through the kitchen, cleaning up the details because he knew Ellie could get fickle about that before company came over. Then he found the Swiffer duster and ran it over every surface he could find, just because he liked the fluffy blue thing. He smiled sympathetically when as he tiptoed through the living room, and pulled the blanket over Sarah where it had fallen away. They'd been watching a movie earlier and she'd crashed right there on the couch, and Chuck didn't have the heart to wake her. He thought about reorganizing the DVDs and games on the shelf, but just ran a cursory sweep with the duster and went back to check Morgan's progress.

"Morgan, out," Chuck ordered when he came in and caught Morgan gawking at his footage of Anna. "You're never going to finish if you keep watching this clip."

"But you see something new every time!" Morgan protested, rewinding the segment and starting again.

"Like what?" Chuck carped. "New customers in the background?"

In fact, it had never occurred to Chuck to look for Sandomierz or other terrorist-type people in Morgan's footage. He gave closer consideration to the background as the clip continued. There was Casey by the TVs, recognizable because he was big and scary, even if slightly out of focus. Chuck recognized Shrek playing in the background and he tried not to cringe at the fact that he could identify the exact scene based on three seconds of looking. He'd truly come to loathe that movie. The dragon's eye opened and half a second later, Ryan jumped into Casey's arms, alternately hiding her face on his neck and peeking back at the screen.

"Wait, roll it back a few seconds," Chuck requested. He watched it unfold again.

"Haha! There!" Chuck cried, then dropped his voice when he realized that everyone else in the house was trying to sleep. "Did you see that? Look?"

Morgan rolled back the tape again, then zoomed in on the corner Chuck indicated. It was fuzzy, because you can't resolve pixels like they do in CSI, but it was unmistakable. Casey picked Ryan up like he'd expected her to get scared and leap into his arms, and in the space of a breath, he'd looked at her, laughed, and then returned to helping the customer.

"A real laugh?" Morgan gawked incredulously.

-----

It was Christmas Eve and the gang was gathered at the Bartowski apartment for cookie baking. Devon did the mass baking and Ellie, Chuck, Morgan, and Anna decorated while Sarah hovered socially making sure the milk supply didn't run low. Ellie had invited Casey and Ryan to come, but Casey had some excuse or other lined up.

Chuck liked decorating cookies with Morgan because then Ellie wouldn't criticize him for putting super-suits on the gingerbread men. She was too busy criticizing Morgan and Anna for making the cookies look like murder victims. Anna had a fairly brutal line-up and one wreath that said "Joy." Chuck wasn't sure how that fit the theme. After he'd finished a Spiderman, Batman, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and a selection of X-men, Chuck stood up and offered the seat to Sarah who shook her head and smiled sweetly. Taking Sarah's hand gently, he led the way to the couch and sat down, pulling Sarah next to him. She was hurt pretty bad from the fights and explosions, but she wasn't about to admit it or let it show. Unfortunately for her, she'd been spending the nights with Chuck, trying to pick up slack for Casey, so he saw every bit of it.

"Need some Class 2 painkillers?" he asked her as she sat stiffly next to him. He wanted to put an arm around her, but she was so bruised, he couldn't. He wished they had a real relationship and not a fake one, because then she could let her guard down and really take the comfort he wanted to offer her.

"I'm fine," she answered. Her eyes closed briefly like she wanted to sleep, but she forced them open again.

"I'll wake you up if you start snoring," Chuck joked and she batted him lightly. He leaned sideways against the arm of the sofa and she leaned against him, but her body was rigid with the pretense of fake relationship. Chuck cast a glance at the cookie-makers and Ellie averted her eyes quickly. He knew Ellie thought Sarah was hanging around so much because she was lonely and it was the holidays. When things settled again and Sarah stopped spending the nights here, Ellie's suspicions would only be confirmed. It didn't take a sleuth to know that Chuck wasn't having sex with the pretty woman sharing his bed.

"Maybe a cup of coffee," Sarah said softly. She was pushing herself to the limits and Chuck worried for her.

"It's okay to rest some," he tried again. "I feel safer when you're rested. If anything happens, I'll freak out and scream like a girl, and that will wake you up. Go on and sleep."

Sarah considered him seriously and then looked back to the crowd making cookies. Finally, she rested her head on Chuck's chest and closed her eyes. He stroked his hands lightly through her hair because as best he could figure, it was the only part of her not hurting.

-----

It was Christmas day when the call finally came. Casey had taken Ryan to the Bartowski's apartment because Ryan liked playing video games with Chuck and Ellie liked feeling that she was helping in some way. Casey had tried to stay away, but true to Chuck's prediction, big sister had come knocking on his door offering assistance. They'd come by for Christmas dinner and Ellie had given Ryan a book called 'Frog and Toad' and they'd read it together. The whole thing seemed so foreign to Casey. He'd had a family once, but had been on the field so long, he'd forgotten what it was like to be part of one.

It was getting late when his phone rang, and he stepped into the back hallway to answer because the source number was protected. Casey nearly shouted for joy when he heard Maya's voice on the other end.

"Are you safe to talk on your end?" he asked quickly, poking his head from the hallway to locate Ryan. He snapped his fingers in the air and Ryan immediately paused the game she was playing and ran to his side, pressing against his leg and holding onto his hand.

"Safe enough," Maya answered and Casey broke into a wide smile.

"I got someone here who wants to say hi."

He handed the phone down to Ryan and held it close to her ear until she took it. She looked up at him with wide frightened eyes and her lips hung partly open. Casey knelt beside her, leaning his forehead against hers until he could just hear Maya gushing out her heartfelt assurances to her baby girl.

"You gotta talk into it," Casey whispered. "You can't just nod. She doesn't see you."

"Merry Christmas, Mommy," Ryan whispered tentatively and the voice on the other end of the line fell immediately silent. "I love you."

Casey sat back on his heels and laughed outright at the little girl. After a few more minutes of listening, Ryan's eyes went wide as saucers and filled with tears.

"Don't cry, Mommy. Please."

Casey scooped her up and retrieved the phone, heading back into the hallway for privacy. He'd discovered this black zone a few days ago and planned to fix it, but until then, he could take advantage. He'd have to be careful, given that he recorded everything that went on in this house and if he were ever reassigned, someone would review his tapes.

"Happy tears," Casey whispered to Ryan, kissing her temple soothingly. "Your mom is happy."

Ryan buried her face in his shoulder, so he gave up on comforting her for now. Safe or no, Maya probably didn't have long to talk.

"Can you walk okay?" he asked her.

"When did she start talking?" Maya wept.

"The same night you woke up. When can we hand off?"

"I – she hasn't spoken – so long."

"Can you come here for her?" Casey persisted. "It's not safe for her here."

"But you – she's talking –"

"Can you come for her?"

"I can't make it far," Maya finally managed, choking back the sobs and covering it with a professional tone. They went back and forth for ten minutes hammering out the details of the handoff and when Casey hung up, he realized he was swaying on his feet again. Why did he always do that when Ryan's head was on his shoulder? It was like an auto-response.

"Ready to see your mom again?" he asked her.

She shrugged, noncommittally. "I guess."

He nodded and smiled. That was a 'yes' in Ryan's terms – a 'yes' when she didn't dare hope to get what was offered. Maybe there was sadness there in leaving, but he'd been warning her for the past several days that this call would come. He'd been warning her that they would have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice and there'd be no time for good-byes. That's why he'd been avoiding coming here. He didn't want her getting too attached. Ever since she'd been rescued by the BuyMore employees, he'd seen that trust growing in her eyes and he hated ripping her from that safety net. He was glad when she didn't complain.

"Sorry to cut the night short," Casey apologized to the gathered crowd as he returned to the living room again. They hadn't even had dessert. "We should be getting home."

He exchanged a look with Agent Walker on the way out which hopefully she could read clear as day. It would take six hours to drive to the rendezvous, meaning he'd get back just in time to start his shift at work the day after Christmas.

"Say good-bye, Ry," he encouraged, but she just sighed sadly and hugged him tighter. He collected her Supergirl cape from the back of the couch and made his way for the door.

"Don't forget your book," Ellie called after them, trotting to the door and slipping the book into John's fingers.

"Thanks."

"Is she not feeling well?" Ellie asked, following them outside and rubbing Ryan's back.

"Just misses her mom," Casey answered. He held tight to Ryan as he darted to his apartment and gathered a few of her things. He was glad she was leaving, and he wouldn't miss her one bit. He couldn't. Once Ryan was transferred, any further contact between him and Maya would endanger them all.

-----

Casey rubbed his eyes tiredly as his phone chirped. He'd handed off Ryan successfully and was still an hour out of town, meaning he could either drive home, take a quick shower, jump in the car, and go to work, or he could change in the bathroom at the BuyMore and take a ten minute nap before his shift started. He picked up his phone from the passenger seat and checked – new picture mail from Bartowski. Picture mail? Why would Chuck send him a picture? Maybe he'd flashed on something.

With a few quick button presses, Casey set the picture to load while he drove. The thinking actually helped him to focus. Maybe he should –

The accompanying text scrolled up. "It's not a Crown Vic, but Merry Christmas."

Then the picture – Ryan in Casey's arms, looking up at him with needy eyes, and him looking right back, laughing. His first reaction was to drop the phone. His second was to pull over onto the shoulder of the highway and stop the car. He picked up the phone again, and stared at the picture, his hands shaking more than he'd ever confess to. He'd achieved the greater good! He'd made her feel safe and restored peace to her life. He'd given her a stable environment and surrounded her with people she could trust. Then he'd ripped her from all of that to reunite her with her mother. This picture was a stolen moment and a glimpse at an alternate life of might-have-beens. It wasn't a dream car, but it was a dream, and as priceless as it was, Casey couldn't help but think how dangerous the existence of this picture was.

-----

Casey came home from work mentally and emotionally exhausted, but his first order of business was to fix a system in that sound proof closet so he wouldn't be caught off guard if an attacker hid in there. When he slid open the door, he was greeted with an unexpected mess. Every red shirt he owned seemed to be sitting on the floor, and one blue t-shirt was in mix with a stylized "S" drawn in the middle with marker. He sighed at the memory of his little Supergirl. After finding out it was safe to talk in here, she'd apparently turned it into her personal playroom and he hadn't been keeping close enough eye on her to notice. The corner was filled with a bag of stale bread and little cheese-and-cracker snack packs. Morgan had mentioned Jonah to Casey and started giving the girl the snack packs as an alternative to bread. She'd hoarded those too, but Casey hadn't given her much opportunity to collect her stash before they'd left. Cleaning out the room, he started pondering his plan for modifying this space. Fortunately, he'd left the closet open, so he heard the knock on his front door. Grabbing his gun, he made his way to the front, checked the peep-hole, then concealed the weapon quickly. It was Ellie.

"Hi," she greeted, smiling kindly at him. "Chuck told me that Ann Elise and Ryan are reunited."

"Yeah, well, you know how that out-of-state medical care can get away from you." Casey had prepared that excuse, but he wasn't sure he'd delivered it properly, seeing as he was so tired. He stepped into the court yard, closing the door behind him, ready to go on a brief walk-and-talk to satisfy his neighbor's need to be supportive. They talked about Ryan and whether she'd come back to visit. There wasn't a chance of that, but Casey couldn't tell Ellie that. She was a good neighbor. A sweet neighbor. And she was there for him. It was sad, because he couldn't return the favor when the worst happened to her – when he killed her brother.

-----


End file.
